SpiderMan's Daughter Book Three

The Road To The Arena

Rachel POV
"So, if you trust us, come with us now." Miranda said gently.

She sat for a few minutes, thinking. "Okay." She said after a while.

She walked towards us, and I realized, this is the closest encounter all of us had had with her. She walked over to us, chains rattling on her pants and we opened the door.

Before I could say anything, the alarm went off. ScarletStar put her hands over her ears and started to change into different animals!

"We need to hold her down!" I yelled over the alarms. She turned into a lion and roared at me, shaking me to my bones.

I saw Kimberly run up from behind and wrap her vines around ScarletStar. Kimberly fought to keep her in control as she rounded to attack Kimberly.

"She's trying to help you!" Miranda yelled at ScarletStar. She turned into a gigantic dragon in front of us. Kimberly struggled to make her fall asleep.

I could see Kimberly fading fast, but it was finally working! ScarletStar was falling asleep! "Bulbasaur used sleep! It was effective!" I heard Deadpool yell in the background.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I growled as he walked off. Kimberly slumped to the ground, exhausted. She didn't move for a long while. ScarletStar transformed back into her human self.

"Thank goodness, I don't know how we would've gotten a dragon all the way down there." I laughed. "Thanks, Kimberly." I said. She didn't say anything.

"Kimberly?" I asked, growing concerned. "I'll take her to the hospital wing, you go on with Miranda." The Hooktress said, gently picking up Kimberly.

SilverMist carried ScarletStar in a bubble with her mind to the hidden elevator in the side of one of the hallways.

Miranda went through a series of locks. After about six I began to grow impatient. "It's because the weapons are down here too." She explained, finally opening the last lock which was an eye scanner.

We climbed into the cage-like elevator and it started going down. ScarletStar still hadn't woken up yet, and I was grateful.

"You know what I want to do?" Miranda asked me. "What?"

"I think that we should take over this facility and design our own teams. Everyone's just sitting in their cells. Some mutant's I haven't even met yet. They literally just sit in there like prisoners." She sighed.

"Fat chance of running that by the Pirate." I laughed. (Fury's nickname was Pirate.) "Who knows. It may work if I can present it to Fury correctly...." She paused as the gates opened.

There was a long, black hallway without lights. "Uhhh I have night vision but not that good." I laughed.

Out of nowhere a torch lit up in front of us with silver fire. "Show off." I laughed at Miranda. She was now holding ScarletStar in her hands.

"Do you want me to carry her?" I asked. "If you don't mind. So that way I can open doors and disable traps." I grabbed ScarletStar and threw her gently over my shoulder, thankful she wasn't heavy. She had a slender frame, but a lot of muscle.

"Uh traps?" I asked nervously. "Yeah, there's a few in some hallways to keep people out. We just have to get the right directions. It's like a giant maze. We just have to reach the control room." She explained.

"Oh. That sounds easy enough. At least we know where the heck we're going now that we can see." I laughed.

My foot landed on something and it produced smoke! "Damn it." I yelled, jumping backwards. Miranda went back by me and waited.

"Why don't we just fly over?" I asked. "There may be some on the ceiling." She said. I sighed, "of course they make a super vault easy to get into."

"Well where is the control room?" I asked. "Well...that's the problem. You have to go down the right hallways to get to it."

"So you're telling me that there's not just some "poof already down there button"? That we just have to run around and try to find a way?" I asked.

"Yep. Fury doesn't give the route to anyone." She said matter-of-factly. "Ughh I'll be 80 by the time we get there and she'll be awake!" I complained.

"Too late for that." I heard someone laugh. I gently set ScarletStar on her feet. "Well hello to you too, grumpy." She snapped at me.

"Sorry. It's not like we're in a beach in Malibu and everything's sand and not death traps." I snapped back. Suddenly, ScarletStar turned into a scarlet and white wolf.

"Uh...." I said. "Relax. If I focus hard enough I can control it for now." She said in a deep growly voice.

She began to sniff in front of us, walking in a weird figure 8 pattern. She stopped and looked at us, "well are you coming or am I going alone?"

"Coming." I said, looking at the floor below me. She made her way back to us. It looked like a figure 8 and then to some weird stairstep pattern.

We followed closely behind her as she sniffed out all of the traps. We finally made it to the end of the hallway when she stopped.

"Wait here." She said quietly. She quickly turned into lemur and jumped back and forth across the floor. She landed on a lever across the room and I saw metal contraptions rise up from the floor and be covered by flooring titles.

"Great job!" Miranda called to her, seemingly impressed. We carefully made it across and to ScarletStar.

"Where to next?" I asked quickly. She shifted back into her wolf form again. "Follow me." She said, leading the way.

We finally reached a door and Miranda grabbed the handle. It was locked!

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" I yelled. "I got it." ScarletStar said quietly. She turned into a crocodile and picked at the lock with her claws. There was a *click* as the door swung open.

"Remind me to ask for you if I need a locksmith..." I said before walking inside. She only stared at me through slitted eyes.

The control room was no bigger than a broom closet but it was packed full of equipment.

"Okay, we need to figure out the password." Miranda said, walking over to the huge tv screen. She started pressing random buttons until a screen popped up.

"I am never quite what I appear to be. Straight-forward I seem, but it's only skin deep, for mystery most often lies beneath my simple speech. Sharpen your wits, open your eyes, look beyond my exteriors, read me backwards, forwards, upside down. Think critically and answer the question."
We all sat and looked at each other, ScarletStar now back in her human form. "I have no idea... And I don't even have a witty comeback." I laughed.

"That's a real problem." ScarletStar said. I couldn't tell she was kidding until she laughed. I laughed too.

"Well...huh. I honestly have no idea." Miranda admitted. She leaned against the control panel.

"Is there anyone we could call? Maybe phone a friend?" I laughed. "Wait. We could get The Hooktress down here. Another head wouldn't hurt." Miranda shrugged.

Miranda sat on the ground, both hands grasping her head. "What is she.""shush." I shushed ScarletStar. She looked at me sulkily.

"I am never what I quite appear to be...." "A person?" ScarletStar asked quietly. "Maybe. What about...a book?" I asked. "Try those two answers." I said.

Miranda got up and typed in person and book. Both showed an angry looking red screen when they were entered.

"Nope." I sighed. "Why is it so hard to get down here? What else is here?" I asked, rounding on Miranda. "I don't even know everything that's down here."

I didn't say anything as I heard something tap the door. ScarletStar opened it cautiously and in walked The Hooktress.