Chapter 54 (Part - A)


After Tintin heard his brother scream, he lost to his rationality momentarily to his emotions running blindly ahead of Chang who tried to stop him. Both Detectives tried to grab Tintin in his fit of irrationality but weren’t fast enough. The only thing Tintin could think about was getting to his brother. That moment, what sounded to be some drill alarm began ringing out all over the ship. He dashed ahead through a long corridor with shut doors until he reached the end with a door that led into a one wider hallway until there were two huge bay doors ahead which were slightly ajar as well a few guy watching them.

“Tintin!” Chang tried to shout out without being too loud.
“He’s going to get us killed!” Thompson exclaimed as they ran behind Chang.
“Indeed he is! He lectures us, then pulls this stunt!?” Thomson ridiculed.
“Tintin! It’s a trap!” Snowy thought as he barked right on Tintin’s heels.
“Well too late now!” Thomson said sarcastically.
“Yea I know! They already know we’re here!” Thompson echoed.
“Out of my way!” Tintin shouted at the three crewmen blocking the huge door ahead that led into the main storage area.
The crewmen took out their guns and began firing as Tintin instinctively pulled out his gun while going into a somersault rolling behind a crate. Snowy dived right behind him.

“Put your guns down and your hands up!” Thompson shouted.
“We have you surrounded!” Thomson continued drawing gunfire towards them.
“Take cover!” Chang warned as they ran to the opposite of side of Tintin behind another stack of crates.

Thompson fired his gun at one of the crewmen’s feet causing them to take cover. Tintin suddenly got a brazen idea. While both Detectives were exchanging fire with the crewmen Chang suddenly made eye contact with Tintin around the corner. Tintin made hand signals going up diagonally and down a couple of times. Chang returned a puzzled look at first but quickly nodded in agreement for Tintin to execute his plan.

Tintin looked up to the ceiling as he crept as close as he could towards the door under cover; until he clicked his belt buckles and a cable claw shot up around a beam above the crewmen wrapping itself around. One of the crewmen saw the cable looking Tintin’s way.
“Keep them distracted Detectives!” Chang encouraged.
“Hope you’re ready Snowy” Tintin said picking him up.

One of the crewmen was about to take a shot at Tintin as he and Snowy suddenly was pulled into the air, but the Detectives kept them on the defense for that moment allowing Tintin to quickly disappear above them. Before the crewmen could look up, Tintin hit the release on the other side of his belt buckle causing the claw to let go from its hold dropping Tintin on top of two of his adversaries. The startled third crewmen was about to take a point blank shot at Tintin.

“Oh no you don’t!” Snowy barked as he leaped up biting the man’s wrist causing him to drop his gun.

“Good night!” Tintin smiled letting his fist be the last thing the crewman saw before he was knocked into slumber land.
“This kid is full of surprises!” Thompson commented.
“I know ain’t he?” Thomson agreed.
“I’m not a kid anymore Detectives, get their guns…I have a feeling we may need them” Tintin instructed.

“Hopefully we are prepared for what that scary captain and his minions can throw at us” Chang said taking a gun putting his staff away.

The Detectives confiscated the other two guns and drug them behind the crates.
Tintin peeked out the door and could see towers of crates stacked in various areas. No one seemed to be out and about. When he looked above he noticed a swinging cage high up with his brother in it. His brother’s back was turned with his attention elsewhere. Only a couple of the overhead lights were lighting the large warehouse like room leaving shadowed corners.

“It’s Benton!” Tintin informed the rest of them.
“It’s a trap Tintin, we must proceed with caution” Chang warned.
“They obviously know we’re here!” Thompson
“They’ve sounded the alarm!” Thomson pointed out the obvious.
“So we may as well hurry on out there!” Thompson said as both Detectives began giving Chang and Tintin a nudge out the door.
“Indeed!” Thompson agreed.
“Fine!” Tintin said rushing out the door with his gun drawn darting from stack of crate to another.
“Get back!” Benton screamed.
The Detectives, Chang, and Snowy began following suit.
“Benton!” Tintin shouted once he was in his brother’s field of vision.
“Fenton! Look out! It’s a trap—and--!” Benton said frantically not knowing what to say first.

They almost reached midway through the main storage area when the main bay doors closed behind them and the rest of the room was lit up. Tintin and his party turned around to see the doors slam shut quickly scanning the room looking for the culprit.

"Don’t worry Benton! We’ve come to rescue you!” Tintin declared.
“Ah! Mr.Tintin! At last…” a voice over an intercom system sounded.
“Who’s there!?” Tintin demanded.
“Hehehehehe!” the raspy yet full voice over the intercom taunted.

Thompson and Thomson looked in the corner of the far wall of the room and immediately shrank back petrified grabbing onto each other. Chang was about to ask what was wrong until he too spotted the source of their terror. Goosebumps began forming all over Chang’s skin as he pulled out his gun and took aim grabbing his fear by the throat.

“T-T-Tin—T-T-Tin!” both Detectives chattered.
Snowy began whining and immediately hid behind the Detectives seeing this new horror. Benton was watching his brother and constantly watching the far wall looking pale with terror himself.
“Show yourself you coward!” Tintin shouted defiantly.
“Welcome to our web Tintin!” a familiar voice cut in on the intercom.

“Rastapopoulos!?” Tintin yelled in disbelief.
“I think you have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment Mr. Tintin hehehehe!” the other voice replied just as Tintin began to hear the rhythmic thumping than a loud thud on the floor about sixty feet ahead of him as Benton’s cage swung from the ceiling. Goosebumps plagued Tintin, and he froze momentarily suddenly realizing once again, one of his worst fears had come to fruition. Chang saw Tintin freeze as the eight legged creature began quickly crawling towards them.

“Tintin!” Chang shouted shaking Tintin.
“How are we supposed to deal with that?!” Thompson panicked.
“I don’t know Thompson, I was hoping you would have the answer to that!” Thomson echoed his sentiment.
“Tintin! Snap out of it! We need you!” Chang said standing his ground next to Tintin.
Tintin was remembering what happened back on that meteorite that he was supposed to explore and was remembering how a giant apple tree saved him.
“Run Fenton!” Benton shouted.
“Great snakes!” Tintin shouted looking at the spider that stood almost four feet off the ground. It had Tintin right in target of its many eyes.
“Tintin! Get a hold of yourself!” Chang shouted as he finally fired the first shot which seem to do only a small amount of damage hitting it getting a slight scream out of it as began crawling faster to them.

Tintin took a deep breath and suddenly began firing with Chang emptying their bullets on it. The spider screamed loudly as they hit two of its legs severing them. Its exoskeleton seemed to be protecting from any fatal damage on its body. It stumbled as Tintin and Chang kept backing up with the Detectives still recovering from the initial shock.

“Come on Detectives fire your—“ Tintin started to say as the spider in a desperate attempt crawling on now six legs came charging at them.
“Hit its eyes! Blind it!” Chang shouted.
They didn’t have time but to only get a few more shots fired until Tintin realized he was out of bullets.
“Split up! Chang! Take Thompson to the other side of the room and climb a stack of those crates!” Tintin said swallowing back his fear but still shaking.
Tintin grabbed Thomson by the arm and dragged him to the other side of the room with Snowy behind while Chang led Thompson to the opposite side beginning to climb the stacks of crates and drums. A row of drums lined the wall with a high stack of crates in the center.

“On top of those drums Thomson!” Tintin shouted picking Snowy up.
Thomson looked behind to see the spider chose to come after them instead.
“Sakes! It’s coming after us!” Thomson shrieked.
“Keep moving!” Tintin shouted back.
“If things weren’t bad enough already!” Tintin thought as he saw they were being backed into a corner with nowhere to go.
The spider was not as agile without all eight of its legs, but it was still coming.

Thomson turned around and took a pot shot at it with his gun missing hitting one of the drums beneath it as it climbed on top.
“Aim for the eyes Thomson!” Tintin said as he was trying to figure out how to climb the four column crates.
Thomson fired a couple more shots before trying to follow Tintin up the stack of crates.
“Put your foot on the right corner, just keep climbing!” Tintin shouted to Thomson.

The spider’s legs buckled for a moment. Tintin swiftly made his way to the top, but Thomson wasn’t as fast. He went to grab one corner of a crate and lost his grip, but Tintin grabbed his wrist helping him steady himself as he was looking for a foot hold. Tintin realized the spider was still able to move fast once back up on its legs. It scurried right under Thomson’s foot as he used its pincers to give him the boost he needed up on the four crate plateau in the corner.
“Yikes!” Tintin was startled.

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