Araña: Heart of the Spider

#21 - Going Under

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK - LUCAS AND LYNN'S APARTMENT

Lucas stood in the bathroom starring in the mirror. It was very visible that he was emotionally drained. He looked exhausted and unhappy. It was hard for him to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking for a moment long enough to fall asleep. All he could think of was her. Lucas leaned on the counter and sighed. He looked back up to the mirror and saw reflections of Anya walking behind him. Of course she wasn't really there. He only came in here to brush his teeth but couldn't help but be distracted by his thoughts.

"Lucas, I need help tying my shoes!" Lynn called from her room.

He walked over to Lynn's room and got down on one knee to tie her shoes. The whole time he did this she kept her eyes on him. He looked horrible. She wondered what she should do, what she should say. Over the past week both her and Jessica had been nagging him to find some sort of peace. She knew how much he hated it. After some consideration, she decided to go about a different approach. She tapped on her bed right beside her to get him to sit.

She placed a hand on his while looking at him. "I love you."

"What?" He was caught off guard. "Umm, I think you're gonna be late for work..."

"As a brother, as a brother," she blushed realizing how she had said it. "We're not blood I know. Although, my baby technically is part of your family. If Mike would have stuck around we could have eventually been cousin-in-laws. But I think of you as a brother. I had no siblings. My dad kicked me out and my mom wouldn't even bother sticking up for me. You're the closet I have to family."

"Why do I feel a lecture coming on?" he asked.

"No lecture," she promised with a smile. "I just want to know that you understand that."

He nodded as he lowered his shoulders. She placed a hand under his chin to guide him into a kiss on the cheek. He stood up and held a hand out to help her up. They passed Elizabeth who was watching television in the living room.

"Lizzy, vamos," he called to her while picking his keys off a kitchen countertop. "You do speak Spanish right?"

"Sí, un momento," she said turning off the television. "Are you really going out like that? You look like crap."

"I was right," he thought back to something he said once before. "You speaking is a bad thing."

CULT OF THE TARANTULA LAIR

Mania walked through the new lair of the Cult of the Tarantula. They knew they couldn't use their old base of operations along the East River. That would lead Lucas to their doorstep. She entered a room where new recruits of the Cult were being trained. They were being trained by a familiar man with an ethereal appearance.

"Mania, would you care to step in and give our new recruits some special training?" asked the man known as Misterioso.

Mania remained silent as Misterioso shrugged his shoulders and continued on with his teaching. A large figure dropped from above landing next to Mania. It was Spidercide who was now wearing an all black costume with a white tarantula symbol centered on his chest.

"Oh, you should know better," he said. "The Spider-Girl's too good to take part in training."

A punch was thrown by Mania so fast that it almost appeared as if she didn't move. Spidercide was hit on the side of his jaw which sent him crashing to the ground. She didn't even bother looking at him. The new recruits watched on nervously as she walked further into the lair. Nina saw Mania come in and let her come to her.

"I never got a chance to praise your work toward the capture of the Bee Hunter." Nina motioned to a pillar of magical energy that imprisoned Caitlyn Sierra. "With this we are short only three Hunters. I am sure it will be only a matter of time before we run into the Scorpions. And as far as I know the only Spider Hunter is my brother, whom we will deal with when the time's right. That leaves a Wasp Hunter, which my brother also has but is of no use to us. It's no matter. I've found an alternative. This one will be harder. Are you ready?"