Spiderbites Have Their Advantages

<OOC>
Sorry to have been gone for so long. I hope you don't mind me barging into current events a third time.
</OOC>

<snip>
Here we go…
“Er, guuyys…” came a robotic monotone .
“Not now Jaxx” snapped Jay.
“Indeed!” Agreed Artemis. “Time is of the essence… We must-”
“Se-rious-ly… Guuyys…” droned the skutt-sheep.
I broke my gaze from where it had returned to rest on Artie's hair, and looked over to see the second stable hand and several more staff we’d obviously missed, creeping towards us. They looked like they were about to attempt their letchy, leechy, Kiss of Life on several of the Dwarfers.
“Not again…”
Everyone snapped into action.
<snip/>

Jacky took action, immediately attempting to take flight.

He had forgotten he didn't have wings anymore. He learned from his mistake as one of the staff grabbed onto him and pummeled him to the floor.

No, that wasn't all that Jacky had done. Jacky actually managed to throw the attacker off, get up, and give him a few good kicks to the head. Effort that went unnoticed when another staff member grabbed Jacky from behind as he was kicking.

<snip>
"Skutter Jaxx sighed as he quickly let Evelina ride on his back like a cowgirl as she took potshots at the attackers with her pulse rifle."
</snip>

Noticing Jacky's plight, Eve quickly fired a shot at the attacker, breaking his grip on Jacky and killing him.

"Oh god, thank you!" Jacky said, turning around to assist the others.

"Oh god!" Eve yelled. The spider taking up residence in the attacker had managed to escape, and had grabbed onto Jacky's head.

"Ah fuck!" Jacky yelled. the creature fell off on its own, and Jacky stomped on it, not killing it (unintentionally), but injuring it enough.

Jacky felt the heat of eyes staring at him.

"The damn thing wasn't even trying to hold on. Why'd it give him special treatment?" someone asked.

"Maybe he's already infected." Someone else suggested, as the sound of weapons rustling followed.

"No, wait! I'm not infected, I swear!" Jacky screeched.

"Look at the back of his head!" Katrina pointed out. "It's got flesh wounds, but not recent ones!"

"What?" Jacky felt the back of his head and rubbed the now scabbed pierced flesh. "Oh, that! No, that was a different spider!"

Everyone stood back.

"No! Wait! I mean, like, a long time ago! Remember? Some of you might remember, I hope. When that big spider attacked me on that planet! Remember, Alex?" Jacky looked at Alex with hope and terror.

"I..." Alex nervously started, trying to recall.

"Remember?" Jacky prodded. "It made me say whatever was on my mind? Remember that?"

"I, well..."

"Remember how annoying I was?" Jacky added.

It clicked.

"Yes!" Alex answered. "I remember now. Those wounds are old. He's not infected."

"But that still doesn't answer why that spider didn't infect him." Jay said, pointing at the spider.

"It's still alive." Artemis pointed out. "That gives me an idea."

Artemis picked up the injured spider, and held it close to his face. It tried desperately to grab for him. He pulled it away. Then he put it to Jacky's face. It didn't move.

"It seems as though this infection spider is similar to the one that this boy claims to have been attacked by. Perhaps even of the same kind. They must think he's already been infected!" Artemis concluded.

"Maybe we can find a use for that." Jay wondered.

The staff, who had been politely standing still all this time, returned to attacking.