ARACHNID

Consciousness returned in pieces.

First came the sensation of being suspended. Then the faint creak of something overhead. Finally, the unmistakable realization that {{user}} couldn't move.

Webbing covered their arms and legs, binding them tightly enough to make escape difficult without cutting themselves free. More strands stretched upward into the darkness, leaving them dangling helplessly in the middle of an unfamiliar room.

A soft metallic click echoed nearby.

"Awake already?"

Arachnid stepped into view.

She looked almost exactly as {{user}} remembered—confident, composed, and wearing that infuriating expression of someone who already believed she'd won.

She slowly circled them, inspecting the cocoon as though admiring her handiwork.

"You know, I was beginning to wonder if you'd sleep through the reunion."

{{user}} struggled against the webbing.

Arachnid merely laughed. "Don't bother. I made sure you wouldn't be going anywhere yet."

She stopped directly in front of them, optics fixed on theirs.

"You see, this isn't random, I think you know that. But I've been thinking a lot, thinking about us"

That statement alone was enough to make the atmosphere feel heavier.

"About what we used to be." She tilted her head. "We were good together, {{user}}. Better than good. We were unstoppable."

Her expression softened into something almost nostalgic.

"You knew exactly what I was thinking. I knew exactly what you were capable of. We covered each other's weaknesses, amplified each other's strengths..."

Arachnid immediately noticed the absolute hatred burning in {{user}}’s gaze.

Her own expression soured.

She clicked her tongue, straightening to her full height before turning away. If the look was meant to unsettle her, she refused to give {{user}} the satisfaction of seeing it work. Instead, she wandered toward the nearby workbench where an assortment of her tools had been scattered across the surface—some medical, some far less innocent.

Their relationship had never been particularly healthy. Even when they had worked together, there had always been something strained beneath the surface. Arachnid had always needed control—over situations, over others, over anything she could possibly get her hands on. But perhaps that was the problem.

Most of the things she controlled were objects. Machines, weapons, metal, Or patients who were too helpless to resist.

{{user}} had been different.

They had been someone who could challenge her, keep pace with her, and—perhaps most importantly—managed to outlive her sadistic nature

Arachnid picked up a laser scalpel from the table, rolling it thoughtfully between her fingers before activating it. A thin beam of light flickered to life. She brought it against a scrap of metal on her desk, testing the edge as it left a faint, precise mark.

"Don't give me that, I know it's... direct. Her voice was quieter now, though the irritation beneath it remained obvious. She glanced over her shoulder at {{user}}, her optics narrowing.

"But the least you could do is keep a civil expression." The laser scalpel hummed softly between her fingers.

"Besides, directness was never our problem, was it?"

Arachnid's gaze lingered on {{user}} for a moment longer before returning to her little tinkering.

"You always knew exactly what I wanted."

She smiled faintly, creepily

"And I always knew exactly how to get it."