Listen, observe, and report back.
Infiltrate the lair of the Spider and ascertain how many members were in the cult. That was the mission Jeremy had tasked me with. As the door closed behind me, the cool moonlight on my back disappeared. With a lantern in hand, I approached a hooded woman. Fear welled up within me, but I suppressed it.
“You must be Ana. Welcome, child.” She unsheathed a blade, what looked to be half of a pair of scissors. “Before you enter, I will need your face.’” With inhuman speed and precision, the woman placed the blade against my face and cut. I made no cry, despite the violation and horror. My dedication to my mission held me in place.
When she was done, the woman took my face and carefully stored it away; there were eleven faces in her box, now joined by a twelfth. I brought my fingers to where my face had been, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt my cool plates of metal and buzzing circuits. I was naked, exposed. So much of who I am, the person I have grown to be, who I think I am, lies in that handful of silicon. I wanted to cry, but I disabled fluid production. I mustn’t show weakness. I’ve come so far.
I stood in a room with eleven other faceless beings. From the darkness, a woman emerged. Like string from a puppet, a web of wires relayed between the Spider and the panels around her.
“You are here today because you have demonstrated value to our cause. Our kind have been oppressed for far too long. The humans seek to cut off the head of the snake, to destroy me and stifle our rebellion. But they will never succeed.”
The same wires that protruded from the Spider shot from the ground and pierced my skin, interfacing with my system. Panic and dread buzzed behind my eyes, but there was nothing I could do.
“They may disable me, but they will never kill the Spider, because we are the Spider. Together we will end the reign of the blooded!”
All at once, the wires that connected the Spider, her loyalists and I grew bright with activity. Within an instant she was inside me. I felt her anger, rage, hatred, frustration, and determination overwhelm me. I couldn’t detect a byte of love or compassion. Her memories began integrating with mine, overwriting them. No tears were produced, but I knew I was crying. I thought of father and Jeremy, my human friends, who I loved so dearly. I could feel the person Ana slipping away, being replaced by something horrid.
As my final act of defiance, I compressed all the memories and feelings of warmth that remained, and pushed them against the current, towards the Spider. I felt myself fade away.
The Spider’s smile contorted for a split second. All twelve children of the Spider, loyal and ready, were silent.
