Along Came a Spider Read online

  Along Came A Spider

  K.M. Robinson

  ALONG CAME A SPIDER. Copyright © 2017 by K.M. Robinson.

  Published by Snowy Wings Publishing.

  www.snowywingspublishing.com

  Cover designed by Reading Transforms.

  Image copyright © K.M. Robinson Photography.

  Interior graphics by Reading Transforms.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, brands, trademarks, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Little Miss Muffet

  Along Came A Spider

  Acknowledgments

  A Deeper Look At The Legends

  Interactive Game

  Bonus Facebook Filters

  About the Author

  Connect With K.M. Robinson

  Also By K.M. Robinson

  Jaded (The Jaded Duology)

  Golden (The Golden Trilogy)

  Want To Learn More?

  K.M. Robinson

  Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet,

  eating her curds and whey.

  Along came a spider

  who sat down beside her

  and frightened Miss Muffet away.

  “FIND HER…IF YOU CAN.” THE WORDS SCROLLED across the screen of the device before crackling away.

  Fet looked down in disgust, tempted to throw the device across the room. Instead, she tucked it into the pocket of her skirt and stood so quickly she nearly toppled the screen in front of her.

  The light from the screen bounced off the ceiling of the dark room, lit only by glowing computers. The display wall illuminated the right side of Fet’s coworker harshly as she looked up from where she was secretly slipping into the innermost workings of a government technology system for her superiors.

  “Fet?” the girl asked her boss.

  “Never mind, T,” she said as softly as the hard edge that resided in her voice would allow. “Go back to work, I’ll handle this.”

  “What’s wrong?” a tall, lanky guy in glasses asked from across the room.

  “It doesn’t matter, BB, I’m handling it.” Fet glared, flicking her wrist in his direction. She had no time for his emotional attachment to her unexpected problem. Her eyes darted to where the message had been on her screen only moments before.

  “You tell us right now, or…”

  “Or what?” Fet bellowed “What will you do, BB? Hack me?”

  “Ha. I’d like to see him try,” T snickered.

  “Shut up, T. Clearly something is happening here and she’s not telling us. If I have to take this to Peep, I will,” the boy threatened to run to his girlfriend.

  Fet raised her eyebrow in a challenge. She knew what BB did not: their leader wasn’t there.

  “Where is Peep, anyway? I haven’t seen her all day,” T asked, looking around the room as the others stirred from their stations.

  Fet’s device buzzed in her pocket, lighting up against her thigh. All eyes dragged across the room to focus on the slight vibrating sound that they were all entirely tuned-in to. Sliding her fingers along her hip, she retrieved the technology. Propping her elbow against her body, she leaned to the side to read the new message. A video queued up and BB was at her side before she could keep the audio from filling the room.

  “Muffet,” the voice filled the room. “Don’t do it!”

  The girl’s voice was cut off as a slap sent her flying to the floor. BB gasped, his eyes widening as he realized what he was seeing. T grabbed at Fet’s arm, jerking her away from the device. She regained her balance in time for an off-camera voice to pick up the message.

  “Hello again, Muffet. I see you received my first message. So glad we could connect.” The digital voice sang in a monotone registry pitched far too high to be within the acceptable range of human hearing. “If you want your lackey alive, crack the code, fix the problem. I’ll be in touch with your first puzzle.”

  “Muffet, don’t. Get out! Now!”

  Another crack sounded just before the screen fizzled out.

  “Run a trace,” Fet commanded, sending BB and the others scattering across the room to their computers. “They have Peep and we have to find her.”

  “But, Fet, if they have Peep, why are they contacting us?” T asked, fingers flying over her keyboard as she tried to glance up as she worked, her brown hair falling in her face. She tucked a random braid behind her ear, its tie matching her deep red lipstick.

  “Because they don’t know Peep is in charge. Peep hides behind me, you know that, T.” Fet criticized, “I’m the face of the Legends…or the handle, I guess. They’re using her to get to me. They don’t realize they already have the girl they want.”

  “And let’s keep it that way,” BB cautioned angrily. Concern for his girlfriend’s wellbeing pulled tightly on the corners of his eyes and pounded out through his fingers as they flew across the keyboard.

  “Walk away. Now.” Words suddenly scrawled across the screen still in Fet’s hand.

  Glancing around the room, Fet casually walked over to T and grabbed her by the collar.

  “Keep them occupied. I’ll be in touch,” Fet hissed, throwing the other girl back into her seat. The small girl was too shocked to fight back, simply nodding in acknowledgement.

  Fet wound her way through the room toward the door, the others not bothering to look up as their search through the deepest crevices of the dark web occupied their thoughts. She slipped the door open silently and crept into the outside room. A blue glow filled the space, feeling much more open than the confines of the inner office of the hidden building. Sounds of clicking filled the air as the new recruits continued their assigned tasks, sitting in their final destinations before being accepted into the Legends. The next step for them was through the door Fet had just vacated.

  Several heads looked up as she passed, her pink plaid skirt swishing as she stomped through the room, but they didn’t say a word as she thundered through. Unlooping the necklace that hung over her chest, she plugged it into the device sending her messages. The other end coiled behind her and around to the opposite hip where she kept her secondary device. Typing code into her alternate tech, she kicked the door shut behind her, slamming it against the wall. She never had minded scaring the recruits.

  “What have you gotten yourself into, Bo Peep?” she muttered as she snaked her way down the streets and alleyways until she reached a spot where she could escape detection. Turning off all of the cameras from her device, she ensured she would be undetectable.

  “Now what?” she mumbled to herself.

  “What exactly are you doing?”

  Fet’s fist flew up in an effort to defend herself against the man who was about to attack her. There was no way she’d let herself be taken like Peep had been.

  “Whoa, easy there, killer.” The man stepped backwards, hands raised in front of him. Fet was uncertain if it was in surrender or in defense.

  “What do you want?” Fet stage whispered through bared teeth to convey her annoyance while still keeping from being overheard from the streets.

  “You lit out of there like your pigtails were on fire,” the man said, appraising her.

  Fet looked him over for the first time. This leather jacket accentuated his long dark hair, short on one side, long on the other. His combat boots were taller than hers, laced nearly to his kn
ees. All he was missing was a couple of facial piercings and he could have passed as a modern day music star.

  “I don’t know you.” Fet said, standing. Turning away, she waved him off and tried to leave.

  “I’m a trainee…from the recruitment class. You’ve worked with me before.” He followed after her.

  “Don’t care.” She continued her escape.

  “You should,” he snapped at her, reaching out for her arm. “I’m the best help you’ve got.”

  “I don’t need help.” She slapped his hand away, holding back the punch she wanted to land on his face.

  “Yes, you do.”

  “I don’t want your help,” she corrected.

  “I was right by the door, I heard it all. This is big. Peep is missing and you’re supposed to be on your own finding her. But no one knows about me,” he shrugged, “So let me help. I’ll be your secret weapon.”

  “Can you even hack, little one?” she said spitefully, hoping to insult him. He stood a head above her at least, but couldn’t possibly have half her talent.

  “Better than you,” he sneered, finally a spark in his gaze.

  “Dream on,” she chastised, pushing him away from her.

  A moment later her device buzzed against her thigh. Pulling it from its pocket, she discovered a message.

  “Told you,” it read.

  When she slowly turned, the dark clothed man was waving his device to her.

  “Can we try this again, Muffet?”

  “You know…?” she asked, her face going slack.

  “Of course I know who you are, Muffet,” he said, informing her that he knew her as more than just Fet. “I’ve been following you for a long time. You’re the entire reason I signed up for the Legends.”

  Fet stepped closer as she realized this was no ordinary recruit.

  “Who are you?”

  “Spider,” he answered, as if his name alone should send her running to hide in a corner.

  Instead, her fist slammed into his shoulder, just missing his neck.

  “You destroyed the Wall job last year!” she screamed, her anger overtaking her sense of self-preservation. “You cost me a year’s wages!”

  “Oh, get over yourself, Muffet. To the victor go the spoils.” He smirked at her.

  Gritting her teeth, she backed up to launch another attack.

  “Knock it off, Muffet. We can fight later. Right now, we have to find Peep.” He grabbed her airborne wrist, holding off her punch. Twisting, she pulled away.

  The chances of finding someone as skilled as Spider, much less one that no one knew was involved, were non-existent.

  “Fine,” she acquiesced.

  “Good, I already pulled the data from your device.” He smiled, tipping his technology back and forth once again. “Your first task came in during your assault, by the way.”

  Her eyes narrowed at the boy, but she allowed her fingers to travel the familiar path to the device, retrieving it and swiping it to life.

  You will perform a series of tasks. Go to the Hub. On the roof, you will find an access panel to the network. Crack the code.

  "What does it say?" Spider asked innocently. With his chin tipped slightly away from her, he looked out under his veil of dark hair on one side, eyes wide.

  "Aren't bugs supposed to have big eyes? Look for yourself." Fet waved her hand to dismiss him.

  "You're in charge here, Fet. This is your mission and I have to keep a low profile. I'll follow your lead," Spider said, falling into step behind her as she turned and marched toward the local center of technology.

  "If you actually meant that, you'd leave so I wouldn't have to squash you," she said angrily, her boot crunching against the gravel louder than usual.

  "Don't be so petty, Muffet," he growled. "You need me."

  As if to make his point, he leaned into her, brushing his leather jacket against her arm. Sighing loudly, she elbowed him, driving him just far enough away to create a slight separation between them. Ordinarily she might be worried her device was being cloned, but since he had already done that, the proximity only served to anger her.

  "GO HIDE, PEST," SHE ADDRESSED HIM as the building fell into view. Spider slipped behind a hedge of bushes, blending into the dark branches as Fet made her way to the metallic grey structure.

  Launching herself onto the stairs, she swung up onto the ledge. Kicking her feet off of the stairway railing, Fet steadied herself on the edge of the building, disappearing from Spider's limited view.

  "There," she muttered as she located the panel once safely on the roof. Pulling open the covering, she searched the screen looking for the coded message. Finding nothing, she rocked back on her heels.

  After a moment, Fet grabbed a rock. She dragged its edge along the screen. Peeling the blank piece back, she revealed a secondary screen, blinking alive with its newfound freedom.

  As she began to type, a code appeared on the screen, racing as she decoded its message. Fet's brow creased, her frown deepening as she deciphered the symbols. The code was tough—not even many of the Legends could crack it given the opportunity.

  "This doesn't make sense," she announced to herself as her fingers flew over the board. "What is this?"

  "Finish it." The command scrolled across the screen, interrupting the coding.

  "But this will..." She didn't finish her thought, knowing it would fall on deaf ears, if she could be heard at all.

  Her fingers hesitated, hovering just over the keys. With a final keystroke, it would be done and the entire town would be plunged into darkness as the power cut off: real life consequences for online puzzles.

  Knowing it would cause pure chaos in the town built to survive off of technology, she hit the last button, breaking the code. The screen shattered into a million digital pieces as a new screen reassembled in its wake.

  Fet heard the collective gasp from the building, the windows having all been open to let in the spring air. She knew their devices had all gone offline, leaving them defenseless. An administrator screamed directions, furious at their employees, somewhere below her. Miraculously, the screen in front of her and her own device still remained active.

  A new cipher glowed within the screen, announcing its need for a new manipulation of code. Fet could feel the heat rising through her collar, creeping up into her neck. If Fet was one of those girls whose body knew how to sweat, it would have been doing it. Instead, the flush snaked up her back and burst through the back of her skull, making her incredibly aware that this plan went further than simply getting her–Muffet, ultimate hacker, and perceived Legends leader–to the enemy. She would not be able to save Peep without the entire world knowing something was happening.

  After her first string of attempts failed, she pulled out her own device. Leaning over the edge of the wall, she glanced down, looking for Spider. Did she want to see his reaction? Was she making sure he was safe? She didn't know why she would concern herself with such an annoyance as the hacker that ruined her big job not too long ago. When she couldn't find him, she turned back to her task. She'd worry about his abandonment later.

  On her device was the code needed to complete the sequence and activate the next prompt. Keying it into the screen, she waited for her next directive. It flashed across the screen as she shoved her accessory into her pocket and leaped over the edge of the building, gripping the ledge.

  Her feet found their mark and she lowered herself onto the steps. Racing back down the side of the building, she timed her escape so the watchmen wouldn't see her. People raced around outside, the watchmen looking busy, though clearly they had no training to fix the problem. A group of men and women burst through the doors, attempting to right the situation. Fet knew the chaos inside would be worse as the employees worked to turn the power system back on. Without the use of their devices, they were practically helpless.

  The Coats, the elite few in charge of the technology, would be sent for and deployed to the site to oversee the attempts to turn the pow
er structure back on. Fet needed to be long gone when they arrived. If she was detected, she would be arrested on the spot and detained indefinitely.

  She tripped as she crashed through the bushes. Gravity pulled her forward and she threw her hands up to protect her face. Instead of finding gravel, her hands wrapped tightly within the slick confines of Spider's open jacket as he caught her, her hands brushing along his chest. Swinging her around, he countered the force of her fall as she gripped onto his coat tightly. Hanging upside down, she could feel Spider's arms wrap around her protectively. For a moment she hung, suspended in air with him until he continued the loop, arcing her back up to her feet. Tugging on her arm, he shouted quietly as they ran, "What did you do?"

  The demand in his voice switched on her defensive tone as she wriggled out of his grasp and ran beside him. "The code turned off the power system, everything is down."

  "No kidding, Fet. My device went down too."

  "Mine still works, but I imagine that was the plan," Fet said, surprised as Spider matched her sharp turn without missing a step. Together they raced away from the Hub.

  "Now what?" he asked.

  "Now we have to find a Irex operating system," Fet answered, trying not to gasp as they ran.

  "They haven’t made an Irex in..."

  "I know," Fet interrupted bruskly. "It would be in a museum if we had any of those left."

  Over the years, it seemed the entire world had gone through digitalization, including three-dimensional renderings of ancient, and more recently-ancient, artifacts. To find an actual machine with an Irex operating system would be a miracle.

  "There was one in the Hub," Spider offered, thinking out loud.

  "Thanks, that's helpful," Fet chastised him. As she turned her head to glare, one of her pigtails whipped against her face, making her eyes sting.