secrets2

"Something bothering ya, Rhinox?" asked Rattrap
"Yeah, something's bothering me big time!" said the rhino, who was studying over a holographic map. "I've got a bad feeling the Preds are up to something."
"What makes you say that?" They turned to see Optimus enter the command center. Livewire walked in behind him.
"Well, I'd sure like to know why they attacked in this area." Rhinox pointed to a rocky area on the map.
"Yeah," Livewire cut in, "I was the only one out there scouting. Megs wouldn't sent all them Preds out just to attack me."
"Exactly," Rhinox nodded. "There must be another reason they were out there, like maybe they found something they want to keep a secret."
Rattrap moved over to Livewire. "Lucky we was close by to save your butt."
"That's the only contact you'll ever have with it!" said the firefly under her breath so only Rattrap could hear her.
"If the Predacons are hiding something we'd better find out what." The Maximal commander thought for a moment. "This is going to take some stealth."
"You mean I gotta risk my tail again!" whined Rattrap.
"No, I'm not going to send you."
Rattrap looked at Optimus puzzled. "Who else is sneaky enough to do it?"
"Mad Jackel, if anyone can get what we need it's her."
"Get what?" asked Mad Jackel as she entered the room.
Optimus smiled at her. "How are you at spying?"

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"Thizz boring slag azzignment; Wazzpinator want to go home already!"
"Buzz Saw want to go home too, got better thingzz to do than guard stupid rockzz!"
"Will you two quit whining! If rockzz not guarded Megatron have our headzz!" said Sting Blade angrily. They had only been patrolling for a few hours and the guys were already driving her crazy.
"Can't we least do something besidezz circle?" asked the yellow jacket.
"Like what?" said Sting Blade and Waspinator in unison.
"Like thizz!" Buzz Saw shoved Waspinator. "Tag, you're it!" he buzzed away.
"Not fair, Wazzpinator not ready!" He tried to tag Sting Blade but she dodged him.
"Going to have to catch me," she said flying after Buzz Saw. Waspinator flew after them.
The three of them were so busy playing their game they didn't notice the large black widow spider crawling around below them.
Good, thought Blackarachnia, transforming into robot mode. She took a small device out from behind her back. They won't mind me taking a few readings if they don't know about it. She began scanning a rock with the device.
Not far away, Mad Jackel crouched down low in the underbrush watching the flyers. She hadn't seen Blackarachnia. Rhinox was right, she thought to herself. Those bugs wouldn't be this far from their base unless they had a reason!
"Mad Jackel, maximize." She had just finished transforming when a stasis web suddenly came down over her.
"What the...." MJ began but was cut short by Blackarachnia's fangs sinking into her neck. She fell limply onto the ground. The she-spider gathered her victim up in the web and began dragging her back toward the Predacon base. "One way or another, Maximal," she said in a low voice, "I'm going to get the answers I want!"
Buzz Saw stopped in midair, causing Sting Blade and Waspinator to knock into him.
"Why Buzz Saw stop?" asked Waspinator.
"Buzz Saw thought he heard something."
"Not see anything but rockzz," said Sting Blade, looking around.
"Bother-bot need to get hearing checked," joked Waspinator. "By the way," he hit Buzz Saw in the arm, "Tag, you're it!"

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"Ooo..." groaned Mad Jackel as she regained conciseness, only to find herself secured to a stasis web in the middle of a large cavern filled with equipment.
"It's about time she woke up," said Tarantulas. "I think you used too much venom on her, Arachnia."
"Well, I'm not exactly a expert on the immune system of jackals. Besides, she's awake now," replied Blackarachnia, a little annoyed.
MJ looked down at the two spiders standing in front of the web in robot mode. This is gonna get worse and worse, I just know it! she thought unhappily.
"So what do you plan on doing with her anyway?" asked the transmetal. "I can think of a few things." He chuckled to himself.
"Right now I want to get some information out of her, alone!" The black widow indicated for him to leave.
"This is MY lab!" Tarantulas scowled.
"She's MY prisoner! Besides, this is girl talk," she rubbed the side of his helmet sweetly with her claw, "You wouldn't be interested."
Tarantulas couldn't resist her flirting and left the room without further argument.
Arachnia turned to her captive. "Well, aren't you going to say anything? Maximals are usually more talkative."
"I have nothing to say," she replied coldly.
Blackarachnia was getting frustrated but she tried to stay calm. "I don't think we've ever been properly introduced."
Mad Jackel looked at the floor. "We don't have to be, we already know each other well."
"That's what I suspected," said the Predacon, now more curious than ever, "But HOW do we know each other?"
The female lifted her head. "You really don't remember, do you?"
"No," said Blackarachnia quietly. Mad Jackel looked her directly in the eyes.
"We're sisters."

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Airazor made another circle around the area, staying far enough away to avoid being noticed by the Predacon flyers. "Still no sign of Mad Jackel," she said over her com-link.
At the other end of the com, Livewire gave a worried sigh. "Something isn't right here. She should've reported in hours ago!"
Razor searched the underbrush with her falcon eyes. "MJ may be good at stealth, but this is ridiculous. If she's down there, I would have found her by now."
"You tried radioing her?" asked Livewire.
"All I get is static. Either there's too much energon interference, or she's too far out of range."
"You think those buzzers might have gotten her already?"
Airazor rolled her eyes. "No way! Those dumb insects can barley keep from bumping into each other, let alone capture a Maximal with out anyone knowing about it."
"Hey, watch what you say about us insects," said the firefly crossly.
"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
Livewire sighed. "I didn't mean to blow up on you, it's just this stinkin' beast form I got."
"I take it being a firefly wasn't in your plans when you signed up for this exploration."
"Well, I don't mind the flying part of it. But for Primus's sake, I'm a bug! I'm a little six-legged thing with an exoskeleton and a light bulb attached to my butt!" fumed Livewire.
"Umm... you okay?" asked Airazor.
"Yeah," the female calmed down. "I just needed to take out a little aggression."
"Good, then call Optimus. He needs to know what's going on." Airazor looked at the underbrush again. "I got a real bad feeling about this!"

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Blackarachnia stood in the middle of the room with her mouth hanging open, trying to understand what she had heard. "Sisters?"
She traced through her memory banks. There was definitely something buried deep in the back of her mind, but the Predacon reprogramming chip seemed to be blocking it. One thing was for sure though, Mad Jackel was telling the truth.
"You'd probably like a little more explanation, huh?" said MJ, glad to finally get some relief for her guilty conscience.
"It would be nice," Blackarachnia paused, "But how do I know you're not lying to me?"
"You think I'd LIE about something like this?!"
"I suppose not." She sighed, "You'd better start from the beginning."
"This is gonna take a while." Mad Jackel took a deep breath. "Well, the whole thing actually started back on Cybertron with two scientists. One was a male Maximal the other a female Predacon. You might say they were our parents, so to speak. Anyway, they weren't too happy about the situation on Cybertron with the Maximals and the Predacon being in two separate classes. They wanted to find a way for all citizens to live in peace and harmony and stuff like that," she said a little sarcastically.
"A pretty dream," said Blackarachnia, "But completely impractical."
"Tell me me about it!" Jackel sighed. "They thought the best way to solve the problem was to not have protoforms be programmed specifically as Maximals or Predacons. So they created a programming chip that would create a robot that didn't really belong to any one group of citizens. The idea was that if everyone had the same programming they would be able to get along."
"What does all this have to do with us?" asked her companion.
"I'm getting to it," said Mad Jackel a little frustrated. "Don't interrupt!"
Blackarachnia rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, just get on with the story already! Sheesh."
"As I was about to say... the chip had a few major flaws in it. Without specific programming the protoforms ended up with a certain lack of mental stability...."
"In other words, they got a bunch of lunatics," interrupted Blackarachnia. Mad Jackel gave her a dirty look. "Sorry, go on."
"AS I was saying.. the only way to compensate for this was to add a little bit of Maximal and a little bit of Predacon programming to the chip so the robots would have a balance of the two. That took care of most of the sanity problem but it also created a few side effects of its own."
"Such as?"
"Oh... a pretty warped personality for one thing. But on the up side it did increase the intelligence level of the robots a great deal. I believe that may have been one of their objectives all along. Anyway, after a few more adjustments they finally perfected the chip. They also added a special device to resist reprogramming. The chip's original programming would stay in someone's system. No matter what!"

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"That's all we know, she just ain't down there," sighed Livewire over her com-link to the Maximal base. "Livewire out."
Rhinox shook his head. "You heard what she said, Optimus, something must have happened to Mad Jackel."
The Maximal commander looked worried. "I know, and according to Airazor, the Predacons are guarding that area. But for what reason? More importantly, where's Mad Jackel?"
"You don't think the Preds got her, do you?" asked Cheetor obviously very concerned.
"I wish I knew," sighed Optimus.
"It was a mistake to send her out there alone," growled Dinobot. "If anything is to happen to her it will be your fault!"
"Hey, simmer down, leatherlips!" Rattrap said angrily. "MJ knew what she was getting herself into, it ain't Optimus's fault she's missing. And how come you're so concerned about her safety all of a sudden?"
"That is none of your business, vermin!" snapped Dinobot, trying to grab Rattrap by the neck but Rhinox held him back.
"Will you two knock it off, we don't have time for this!" yelled the large Maximal, not in his usually calm attitude.
Rattrap backed off grumbling something about, "not going to take slag from an overgrown &^%$#@ lizard".
Dinobot backed off as well and leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Why am I so concerned about her anyway? he thought. The raptor tried to convince himself it was only because she was a fellow warrior. But no, there was definitely another reason. Could it be he was actually starting to like her? True, Mad Jackel could be annoying at times, but there was just something about her Dinobot found very appealing. Perhaps he should have a talk with her when she got back. If she got back! Now he was beginning to worry.
Optimus sighed, "We're going to have to investigate the area ourselves. Rhinox, contact Livewire and Silverbolt, tell them to meet us at Airazor's position. But first, get ahold of Tigatron, I have a mission for him. You and Cheetor will stay at the base, I don't want to leave this place vacant even with Sentinel online!"
"But Optimus...." began Cheetor. He didn't like the idea of being left behind.
"No buts, Cheetor!" said Primal sternly. The cheetah just couldn't think of a response to that one.
"Yo, did you get your logic circuits scrambled, boss-monkey?" asked Rattrap nervously. "We got no idea what might be out there. We could be walking into a Predacon trap!"
"I'm afraid we've run out of options, Rattrap," said Optimus sadly.
"But what about Mad Jackel?" asked Cheetor.
"That's what I need Tigatron for. I'm going to have him check out the Predacon base. If they have her, he'll find her. If not..." Optimus shook his head; he didn't want to think about it. "Get your weapons ready. We leave as soon as we get word to the others!"

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Meanwhile, back in Tarantulas's lab, Blackarachnia was leaning against a computer console, thinking. "Well, this seems to be making sense. It sounds strange, but I'm sort of remembering all this too." She turned to Mad Jackel, "So we were..?"
MJ let out a long sigh. "We were their last two successful experiments. You were programmed first. Our 'mother' always said you were to be the first of a whole new race. They programmed me a little after that, so I guess I'm your younger sister." She laughed a little, "The sisters of the new empire, that's what they called us."
"Perhaps their idea wasn't as sappy as I first thought," said Blackarachnia, a little amused. "But what happened that made us what we are now?"
"Well, like I said, we were their LAST two successes. They tried to program more protoforms but something went terribly wrong...." Mad Jackel suddenly wished she didn't have to remember this part. "They were both killed in a lab explosion that destroyed almost all the information on the chip too! You and I were the only ones who made it out in one piece. The others they had programmed weren't so lucky...." She was silent for a long while.
Blackarachnia suddenly felt something she hadn't felt for a long time, grief....

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"I don't really like this plan!" said Silverbolt for about the millionth time. "I mean, just attacking the Predacons without knowing what's going on; it just seems unwise!"
"First of all, we're not ATTACKING them, we're just checking out the place," said Livewire, extremely annoyed. "And second, if I have to listen to you whine anymore, I'm gonna rip those wings of yours off and shove em up your....."
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP ALREADY!!!" yelled Airazor.
The two flyers fell silent and Airazor let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, geezz."
Below them, the rest of the Maximals were hurrying toward the area where the Predacons had been spotted, all of them seemed to be worried.
Dinobot was trying to keep his thoughts on the battle ahead of him, but his mind kept racing back to thoughts of something or rather SOMEONE else... Mad Jackel. I must concentrate! he thought to himself. This is not the time for unimportant romantic ideas! But even HE couldn't make himself believe that! The former Predacon hurried along with the others, but his head was still full of doubts and unanswered questions.

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After what seemed like an eternity, Mad Jackel went on slowly. "When the Maximal authorities found out what happened, they weren't exactly happy. Guess stealing unprogrammed protoforms isn't considered legal by them. But nobody held us responsible for what happened, so we simply became part of the community. Or at least we tried...." She looked away. "That was another problem. Our 'parents' had intended our programming to make us accepted, instead it made us outcasts! Seems nobody really trusts you if they don't know what side you're on."
Blackarachnia shut her eyes, it was all coming back to her. The pain, the loneliness, the feeling of complete isolation, she remembered them now and she wished she hadn't.
She opened her eyes again and noticed Mad Jackel was staring at her. "You remember it too, don't you?"
The female Predacon nodded. "But I still don't understand how we ended up on a Maximal exploration ship, or, for that matter, why we had Maximal energy signatures while in the stasis pods."
MJ rolled her eyes a little. "Well, we both sighed up for exploration missions hopping to get a fresh start after... well, you know. It was just by fate that we ended up on the same ship. As for the signatures, changing them was the only way the Maximals would let us on the ship!"
"Oh," Blackarachnia felt a little embarrassed; she should have thought of that herself. She looked at Mad Jackel suspiciously for a moment. "Why are you telling me all this, anyway?"
"Guilty conscious, I guess." A weird smile suddenly crossed Mad Jackel's face. "Or maybe I have a reason for you to know."
"Are you purposing that WE could use this to our advantage?"
"Well, I don't have any reason to stay with the Maximals," said Mad Jackel in a sly voice. "Two females with our intelligence could become very powerful indeed."
Blackarachnia let out an evil laugh. "Oh, you MUST be my sister, we think alike!"
"Yes! Now how about letting me down from this web?" She smiled wickedly. "We have plans to make, Sister...."

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Up in the Predacon command center, Megatron was studying over a map grid of the energon deposit, trying to decide the best way to mine it. Tarantulas was busy working over his computer console. Quickstrike, who had gotten bored waiting for Megatron to give him any orders, was on the other side of the room playing a video game.
Suddenly, something on Tarantulas's computer started beeping. "Megatron!" he shouted. "I'm getting a communication from Sting Blade!"
"Well?!" growled Megatron.
"They're too far away; it won't come in clearly."
"Than make it!" snapped the larger Predacon. Tarantulas began typing furiously at his keyboard until a static felled voice was heard over the computer.
"Megatron... attack... Maxzzimals... zzend... HURRY.." Sting Blade's broken up message was suddenly cut short.
"BLAST!!" the Predacon leader slammed his fist into the computer, then hit a small button on the control panel. "Blackarachnia, get up here at once! We have a Maximal problem to take care of!"
Blackarachnia's face appeared on the screen. "I'm afraid I can't," she said in her most sickeningly sweet voice. "I'm in the middle of a very important project that YOU commanded me to work on. Besides, we wouldn't want to leave the base unguarded, would we?"
Megatron growled a little, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. "Very well, we will go without you." The female Predacon's image disappeared from the screen.
By now Quickstrike had turned off his video game and was listening to the conversation with interest. "Yeah mean we're gonna fight?"
"No, we're going to have a tea party. Of course we've going to fight you short-circuited half-arachnid!" scowled Tarantulas sarcastically.
"WHOOP DANG!!" shouted Quickstrike gleefully, "A rumble at last!" Before the other two Predacons could say anything he was already halfway out of the base.

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Meanwhile Inferno had been guarding the entrance to the base.
"Yi ha!"
He turned to see Quickstrike running past him at full speed. Inferno scratched his head for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. (though having the imagination of a toaster oven, he didn't come up with much)
"Inferno," yelled Megatron, "Come!"
Inferno, being the good drone that he was, didn't ask questions and followed his leader toward the battle.
Tarantulas stopped in the doorway for a moment, shaking his head. "It's going to be a looooong day." He then transformed to cycle mode and raced after the others.

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"That was almost too easy!" laughed Blackarachnia.
"Yep," grinned Mad Jackel as she leaned against the side of the computer console. "Megatron is quite the fool, isn't he?"
"Indeed!"
The sisters burst into an eerie, hysterical laughter that echoed throughout the base.