Spider-Bots Rising

Chapter Eight: Aranay

They left the beak behind them, lying alone on the forest floor. If the sungbirds were coming back for it, they didn't want to be there to meet them.

They hurried on through the twisted trees. By this point, the trees were so tightly entwined that there was no more footpath at all. They found their way by following the glowing webbed threads. The more of them there were, the Dreamseeker believed, the closer they were getting. But what exactly it was they were getting closer to, she didn't know. Nor did she know if they should be running towards it, or away from it.

"Okay," the Dreamseeker said. "Let's go over it again. We know the spider-bots are building, or, uh, weaving, something called the World Wide Web."

"Ayup," Chuck said.

"And we kn-know that it must be very large," Abby added. "Because of the amount of imaginan-an-anium it has taken. And the long period for construction."

"Ayup," Chuck said.

"And it's got something to do with bringing people together," the Dreamseeker

went on. "Or sticking people together... or weaving the Dreamscape together? That's where it all gets a little fuzzy... But we know The Council thinks it means trouble. And it looks like the sungbirds agree. Honestly, I don't even want to think about what sort of thing could spook those creeps."

"Aaaaaayup," Chuck said. "We're walking towards something that gives nightmares to my nightmares! Dreamseeker, next time you sign up for a deathly dangerous quest, remind me to stay home."

"WAIT," Abby said, stopping suddenly. "I s-sense sp-sp-spider-bots. Close. Coming. Closer. Fast. THERE." Her head swivelled to the left just as three spider-bots crashed through the trees.

"No!" the Dreamseeker cried, leaping forward.

But before she could do anything, the spider-bots closed ranks. They acted in perfect unison. All at once, each spider-bot grabbed one of them and held them in their steely grip. The Dreamseeker felt the bot's cold strong legs close around her ribcage and legs. She struggled but couldn't move. She saw the others pinned as well. And then they were moving.

The trees flashed past at an amazing pace. The spider-bots' many legs picked through the tangled roots quickly and with ease. The Dreamseeker couldn't see anything besides streaks of green light and tree trunks vanishing behind them.

She could hear Abby and Chuck trying to reason with the bots. Chuck was yelling many words one should not use in polite company. But Abby had a different tactic. She was spouting a rapid stream of robotic beeps and buzzes. From what the Dreamseeker could tell, she was speaking in their language. Neither of them got any response. It was like the bots couldn't hear them. Their red sensors stared straight ahead, and they charged on.

Finally, they reached a gigantic clearing. Inside the clearing was a dwell. It was much bigger than the nesting dwell Abby had brought them too. Much much bigger. A shiver ran down the Dreamseeker's spine. A high-pitched hum filled her ears.

Every single tree around its edges was draped in the glowing webs. They created a ring of unsettling green light that touched everything within it. Strange machines stood all around. Some of them were covered in small colored lights that blinked on and off. Some of them had screens that shuddered and flashed. Bold words blazed across the screen like silent screams: "OBEY," "READY," "SCAN." But most of the machines were dark and lifeless. Their blank black screens seemed to suck light in.

Spider-bots of shapes and kinds the Dreamseeker had never seen were crawling all over everything. Two tall ones with large, fan-shaped tanks on their backs stood before them like a wall. Circular monitors were set into the middle of those tanks. Each one stared out at them like a dark, round eye.

Worst of all was the huge spider-bot sitting right in the middle of it all. It was larger than all the others by far. Bigger than a car. Bigger than two cars. It had a large gold tank on its back, and one giant green eye in the middle of its head. Its legs were made of some perfectly smooth, shiny metal. Its pincers were tipped with gold.

The spider-bots that had been holding Chuck, Abby, and the Dreamseeker suddenly dropped them. They scrambled to their feet.

"Well, well, well," the giant spider said. Its voice was like a thousand TVs all turned to the same channel. "Look who The Council sent to check on us. Some kind of tough guy bunny rabbit, a child, and a defect. How cute."

"Who are you?" the Dreamseeker demanded. "And what is all this?" She clenched her fists at her sides to stop them from shaking. She hoped she sounded braver than she felt.

"Oh, the little one is feisty," the bot said. It shifted slightly and a loud clanking echoed through the clearing. "I am Aranay. And this," it waved at all the lights and screens, "is the start of something that you are now too late to stop."

"We know about the World Wide Web," the Dreamseeker said, looking up into the spider-bot's one shining eye.

"Oh you do, do you?" Aranay responded. "Do you know that it is going to be the largest network the Dreamscape has ever seen? Do you know that it will connect every creature and revery in this realm? When it is done, there won't be a dream, idea, or story that cannot be shared across time and space!" Aranay grew louder as he spoke.

"But why would you want that?" the Dreamseeker asked. Something wasn't adding up. "Why is this World Wide Web so important to the spider-bots?"

"Just think of it, you tiny fool," Aranay boomed. "The ability to share all data. All information. Everything and everyone connected through technology. You could speak to people who have never spoken. See things no one has ever seen! It's like magic. But it's better than magic, because we made it ourselves...Aren't those good enough reasons for spider-bots to be interested? To create something beautiful and help all of dream-kind?"

"Not in my experience," Chuck called from behind the Dreamseeker. "Not for most spider-bots, at least."

Aranay creaked and buzzed with horrid laughter. "YOU'RE RIGHT!" he crowed. "Of course there is more than that in it for us. We spider-bots are not stupid creatures. We are perfect machines. We do not seek to help those weaker than us. We only seek to take the power we deserve."

"But how are you going to do that?" the Dreamseeker said, feeling anger rise inside her. "How is the World Wide Web going to help you get that power?"

"Sadly, that is not for you to know, puny Dreamseeker. This clearing was the birthplace of the World Wide Web, but it has outgrown this forest. It was only ever an early testing ground. My eight-legged brothers and sisters have moved the Web somewhere with more room. More power."

Aranay slowly began to move closer. Every heavy step sent a shudder through the ground. The Dreamseeker stepped back and craned her neck up as Aranay loomed above her. His large metallic head blocked out the glow around them. His sharp pincers glinted.

"But you will never find the place where the Web is now hidden. And you will never discover its true power. And even if you did, you are not strong enough to stop us. Swarms of spider-bots guard it, more than you can imagine. But don't worry," he said, rearing up on his back legs, ready to strike. "I will end this silly quest of yours right now."

And then he attacked.