Mr. Muffet Strikes Back

This is a story about the determination of one man, solving a rather unique problem that threatens to destroy the entire human race. Sound familiar? Perhaps.Human technology of the early Twenty First Century has developed a space drive system that has one thing basically wrong with it it works too well. Two test and evaluation flights, that were to make small forays into space, but remain near the solar system, have jumped to a position in the Milky Way Galaxy twenty-five thousand light years from Earth. The problem is not only to determine where they went, but also how to get them back once they are found.Noted astrophysicist, Dr. Samuel Ugo, has just been pulled from this project in order to solve a more pressing problem, one that threatens to destroy all of Earths inhabitants in a very short time. He is called upon to get rid of a menace closer to home.Basically, his current problem centers around bugs.Spiders really. Giant spiders, to be specific. Giant spiders living in Earths clouds, and creating all sorts of havoc, to be more specific.Not ordinary spiders by any stretch of the word, these giants are twice as large as basketballs. They look like daddy longlegs, sometimes called Harvestmen, graze like cows, for what, is not known, and in a relatively short time, begin raising all kinds of hell with the population.In addition to ridding the clouds of the spiders, there are associated problems that Sam must solve: Who put them there? Why is the temperature and humidity increasing so rapidly, and why are he and his lovely daughter, Sharon, hearing voices?As far as his technical training is concerned, Sam is the perfect person for this job. Physically, Sam has no business doing what he is doing. He suffers from degenerative arthritis, limiting his ability to move around, and he harbors a secret he believes not many people know. On top of all this, Sam is an alcoholic. Its not Sams fault, however. Sam has been using the false courage provided by the alcohol to help him to get through his day. His personal phobia is one acquired by him during an episode in his early childhood: Sam is arachnaphobic! He is deathly afraid of spiders of any size, let alone the giants living in the clouds.Sam knows he will need help, big time. In addition to his intelligent daughter, Sam calls upon a friend who is an entomologist. Together, these three acting as a team, and aided by Sams faithful secretary, devise a method of defeating the spiders.Just how dangerous can spiders become living in the clouds? For one thing, airplanes cant fly without collisions occurring, killing all the passengers as well as some of the spiders. In fact, thats how the spiders are found out. There is yet another danger, not readily apparent.You see, the density of the wet clouds is changing, because the temperature and the humidity of the Earth are increasing. To support the spiders, naturally. And the changes are happening at a rate faster than the human race can adapt. Something or somebody is causing this.There also are aliens involved, who watch all this take place from a space ship hidden behind Triton. They have been there for two hundred of Earths years, brain washing selected humans. Via a tiny transponder located on the Moon, they monitor the progress of the space ventures, and the reaction to the spider problem. Mankind is being given a test.As if all this isnt enough, the spiders come down from the clouds, to the surface of Earth, and really begin causing problems. They are carnivorous.To further add an insult to injury, the spiders are filled with Hydrogen. It helps them to remain aloft. But, whenever anyone tries to destroy a spider, say with a flam