As Mary looked at her transformed self, a variety of emotions ran through her. She was amazed by her changed body, a combination of fascination, disbelief and an indescribable sense of empowerment.
Without hesitation, she shifted into a fluid crouch, her spider legs easily supporting her weight as she lunged forward. Her sharp claws extended from her fingers, shining in the dim light of the cave. When the first attacker lunged at her with a knife, Mary shifted her weight with a dexterity that defied human limitations. With her new legs, she agilely spun around and evaded the blade's trajectory with ease. In one swift motion, her talons cut through the blade effortlessly.
The fight carried on and Mary's actions became a thrilling display of prowess. Her spider legs allowed her to navigate the uneven terrain with great ease, giving her a three-dimensional advantage over her enemies. A foe lunged from behind, his weapon raised to strike. However, Mary quickly sensed the danger, turned around on her spider legs, and parried the attack.
The remaining foes exchanged confused looks, their confidence shattered by the sight. Mary's evolution had catapulted her into a league of her own, far above the combined forces of the attackers.
Bullets flew through the air, making a deadly sounds. Still, Mary remained calm and unshaken. Her new skin was like bulletproof armor. As the projectiles hit her chitinous exterior, she felt the impact echo through her body. It was an unusual feeling, a weird mixture of pressure and vibration, like a tingling massage. She didn't even try to dodge the bullets, even though her lightning reflexes would have allowed her to.
She began to smile slightly as she realized that she had succeeded against all odds.
Now it was her turn... She lunged forward and immediately used her new legs to take out several attackers. Some inner instinct told her to kill the attackers, to toy around with them, to hunt them down. But her human nature kept fighting that urge. Apart from a few cuts and a lot of broken bones, she tried not to hurt them too much. She was not a killer at all. Or was she?
Feeling a sense of surrender, some of the attackers began to run towards the entrance, against the fierce shouts of their leader. But Mary had other plans for them. She shot some silk, hitting several targets at once, dragging them back to the battlefield like figures. One by one they were defeated, and with playful grace she beat even the last of them.
Considering her options for what to do with them, she let her instincts take over once more. Mary threw herself up and pulled herself up to the ceiling with her silk. One after another, the attackers were tied to the ceiling with their heads dangling in the middle of the room. As she finished the last one and prepared to look after Juan, she sensed a familiar presence moving into the room, along with another man. She could hear their hearts beating fast in their chests. She could feel the slight vibrations of each of their steps.
"That's impossible," Mary whispers.
"Come out or I will kill him. And no quick moves," one of the men shouted as he pushed the other male into the room. The second men felt to the ground, visibly writhing in pain. The first men followed him inside, pointing his loaded gun directly at the men on the floor.
Mary focused her gaze on the men on the floor.
"Dad?" she realized panicked.