John and Alexis placed their clothes back on and raced into the corridor. Kara stepped out of her quarters. She has a towel wrapped around her body, and water drenched her red hair.

The ship shook again, nearly pushing everyone off balance.

“What the hell is going on?” Kara shouted.

John got up and raced into the cockpit first. The first thing he saw was a strange white slime, covering the bubble window.

“What the hell is that?” John shouted.

Lena was pushing the thruster button, but nothing was happening. “Something is dragging our ship! I can’t get the thrusters to work!”

After the other two girls dashed in, another quake sent them tumbling on John. All of them fell to the floor, lying on top of John.

Kara and Alexis rose off John before he got up.

“Can you blast it?” John asked.

“I can’t!” Lena shouted. “Everything is clogged up.”

Alexis stared at the goo on the window. “That looks like a web from an asteroid spider.”

“A what?” Kara asked, keeping her towel tight around her nude body.

“They are giant organisms living inside asteroids. Similar to arachnid class insects, except they are silicon-based life forms. They fed on asteroid minerals and they don’t need oxygen to breathe.”

“Why is it attacking us?”

“Probably to digest the ship. Our vessel comprises minerals too.”

The ship rocked again. Everybody sat down on their seats so they won’t fall to the floor again.

“I still can’t free ship!” Lena shouted while shaking the flight handles.

“Stay calm!” Alexis exclaimed. “It is probably moving the ship to its nest.”

Kara glared at her. “How do you know that?”

“If it was eating the ship, we would be dead already.”

“She is right,” said Lena, looking at the radar. “It is outside, dragging us.”

“Where is it taking us then?” Kara asked.

“To a nest,” Alexis answered. “After it lay eggs, it searches for large minerals to feed its infants. Our ship is the only thing it could find here.”

“Then we will be dead by the time we reach its nest,” said John.

“Not unless the infants haven’t hatched yet. We should wait until we reach the nest.”

“I’m not waiting till I get eaten!” Kara shouted.

“It could be a better option,” said John. “Getting out will be hard while our ship is moving. If we wait, we can ambush the thing before it-”

The ship stopped and everything outside turned quiet.

“I think we are here,” said Alexis.

Lena looked at the radar. “And the creature is moving away.”

“Good.” John rose off his seat. “Let’s gear up and head outside. Whatever is holding down our ship, we must cut them loose. Alexis and Kara will come with me. Grab plasma chainsaws so we can cut the stuff off.”

“And what if you wolf out?” Kara asked.

“Then knock my ass to sleep.”

Kara rolled her eyes and walked out.

Alexis approached John. “I will implant the chip into you as soon as possible.”

John placed his hands on her shoulders. “First, we have to get out of here, and then you can begin the process.”

Alexis smiled and kissed him. “Don’t make me kill you then.”

***

Inside the airlock chamber, John and the girls placed their spacesuits on. Kara doesn’t need a helmet because vampires don’t breathe in space. She may be half-human, but the ecto energy within her blood kept her immune to all-natural hazards. Even Lena need not breathe in space, but she had to stay aboard the ship. She will need to prepare the ship for take-off after John frees the vessel.

John and Alexis placed their helmets on and picked up their plasma chainsaws.

“Open the door, Lena!” John shouted through his com-link.

“Opening now!” Lena replied.

White steam of air burst out of the chamber. The double door opened but stopped as the web stuck on it.

“Crap.” John approached the door and activated his plasma chainsaw. The blue energy blade roared as it burned through the web. After he cut through, the door sprung open.

“Let’s go.” John stepped out first and looked around.

With his helmet headlights on, he could see giant spider webs everywhere inside the dark cavern. They were sticking to the walls toward the darkness above. On the ground were rocks and white slime under the webbing. Among the webbing were balled-shaped cocoons, hanging on the web and laying on the ground.

There seemed to be hundreds of spider eggs in the nest, but about more.

John doesn’t have time to explore the nest. He has to free his ship before the asteroid spider returns.

“Alright everybody,” he said. “Let’s get to work.”