Author's note: I do not own Transformers, except for Berserk.
Soundwave, Berserk, and Ravage were all on Earth for two months when Halloween arrived. Sari explained the holiday to the three, and filled in a few parts that Berserk was confused about. Ravage was dressed up as a lion on her first trick-or-treating adventure, and Optimus was going with Sari, Ravage, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead. Soundwave was clinging on to Optimus in his satellite mode when the two transformers were with the trick-or-treating group. "So, what are you two going as?" asked Sari. "We're supposed to be an alien-plant that devours organics" said Soundwave. Ravage giggled at her father and Optimus covered in vines and tree branches. Sari was dressed as a princess, Bulkhead was going as Frankenstein's monster, and Bumblebee was going as a clown. Berserk decided to stay behind and have Ratchet examine the virus within her processor (she hadn't revealed that she had the virus until it slipped out by accident.) "Keep in contact, ok?" said Berserk as she kissed Soundwave. "We will. Try to not have Ratchet remove the virus and let it destroy the base by accident. I still remember what happened the last time when our Ratchet tried to remove your virus" said Soundwave. "I'm still surprised that he was able to fix the computers after what happened" said Berserk as she waved goodbye to the Autobots.
It had been a rather uneventful evening, with Sari, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Ravage acquiring lots of candy. Optimus and Soundwave were given some looks, mostly by people who couldn't figure out what they were (they thought that they were some sort of tree from the rainforest.) "So, are we done? We've been out for megacycles" said Optimus. "Come on, just three more houses" said Sari as she rushed ahead with Ravage. Soundwave picked up something on his radar, but it disappeared before he could get a fix on it. "Something wrong?" asked Optimus. "No, just something showed up on my radar, but disappeared. Could have been a group of humans or something" said Soundwave as the robots followed Sari and Ravage.
After the last house, Ravage and Sari pleaded with Optimus and Soundwave to visit another house. "No Ravage. It's past your bedtime, and it's probably close to Sari's too" said Soundwave. "I'm sure that Bumblebee and Bulkhead are both tired from all this trick-or-treating, and they want to be in stasis" said Optimus "Right? Uh, Bumblebee? Bulkhead?" he said as he turned around, but found them missing. They all heard a loud scream, and looked up to see Bumblebee dangling from Waspinator's grasp as Bulkhead was bound in a gigantic web. They all heard a loud hissing from behind them and found Blackarachnia in her robotic mode. Ravage cried at Blackarachnia's looks, and all the robots (except for Soundwave) covered their audio sensors with their servos. Soundwave tried to comfort Ravage, but she kept on crying.
"Make that brat stop" screeched Blackarachnia as Waspinator kept on flying with no coordination as he let go of Bumblebee. Bumblebee landed on his head and yelled "Ow!" Ravage stopped momentarily as she looked a Bumblebee as tears ran down her cheeks. Waspinator landed on Bumblebee soon after crashing into Bulkhead and Ravage giggled. "How can this get any worse?" moaned Bumblebee before the webbing holding Bulkhead in place gave way and the green giant landed on the two. Ravage was laughing and clapping her paws together at the funny sight before her optics. "Why did she stop screaming like that?" whispered Optimus to Soundwave. "She usually stops crying if something funny happens. It's one of the things that works if I can't quiet her" said Soundwave in a low voice.
"Finally, that little brat quieted down" grumbled Blackarachnia "So, do you think that you have a chance against me, even with that fungus attached to your back?" "Fungus! Why you overgrown freak! And what's up with calling my daughter a brat?" snarled Soundwave. A jet roared above them as it transformed and landed behind Blackarachnia. Tentacles shot out and cackled electricity as Berserk glared at the Decepticon spider. Blackarachnia smiled with malice as she grabbed hold of one of Berserk's tentacles. "Looks as if I'll get a new power to use on you, Optimus" said Blackarachnia as her servos glowed. "Don't absorb her!" shouted Soundwave. "What is going to happen? It's not like I'm going to turn into a worse state than this" sneered Blackarachnia as she began absorbing Berserk's power…
Half an hour later, Blackarachnia was with the other mechs in the medical bay area. She glared at Optimus and Soundwave as oil, energon, and several other vital fluids leaked out of her body in her paralyzed state. "I'm sorry, but Berserk has a deadly computer virus in her systems, and that has made her psychotic. She also has the ability to hold a vast amount of electricity that would offline most transformers, so you should be lucky that you're alive" said Soundwave. Optimus, on the other hand, was thinking back to when he left Blackarachnia on that spider-planet. She didn't have it this bad. She's paralyzed, and may not be able to recover. What can I do? thought Optimus as his optics stared at nothing in general.
"Well, it looks as if she may be here for months due to the state that she's in, but that's not the worst part" said Ratchet as Optimus cast a sad glance at the medic. "That blasted virus has wiped out her programming on how to walk, transform, and shoot her webbing. She's going to have to relearn on how to do all of those basic functions" said Ratchet. "So spider-bot is defenseless? Ha ha! Waspinator can finally squish spider-bot" sneered Waspinator as Blackarachnia let out a hiss. "Well, I guess that I can help her relearn on how to walk and transform, but I have no idea on she shoots her webs" said Optimus with a hint of pity in his voice. He walked over to Blackarachnia and looked directly at her optics. They held so much hatred and pain in them as she stared directly at Optimus, then at Soundwave. You're still mad at me for leaving you on that planet, aren't you, Blackarachnia? I wish that we've never even went there in the first place. I actually hoped to have sparklings with you someday after we've bonded, but it's too late for that now. I would have given anything to prevent what happened to you, Blackarachnia thought Optimus. So, when you refer to 'having sparklings and bonding', was that before or after she became a spider? came Soundwave's thoughts within Optimus' processor. Optimus shot a look at Soundwave as he continued I doubt that Blackarachnia would even want to hear this conversation in the state that she's in. It's ok, Optimus. It's sweet of you to still love Blackarachnia for who she was and not how she looks. I actually prodded her processor, and it's rather sparkless of Sentinel to call her all of those insults for the new form that she's in. She needs to learn to accept her current mode for being part spider. Berserk did tell me once that 'the Universe has a plan' a long time ago. I even asked her on what she meant by that, and she smiled. I did learn on what she meant by that later on, when I became a satellite. "What do you mean 'the Universe has a plan'?" asked Optimus to Soundwave as the others in the room gave Optimus a funny look. Uh, Optimus? The next time we have a telepathic conversation like this, there's no need to talk. Prowl is better at these conversations because he knows that there's no need for dialogue thought Soundwave as he communicated with Optimus. "Oh, I had no idea" said Optimus as he rubbed an arm with a servo as Ratchet said to Optimus "Ok, just what is going on?" We're having a telepathic conversation, Ratchet. I happen to like to converse with Prowl in this manner though Soundwave as Ratchet shouted "Will you keep your thoughts in your head, Soundwave! I don't want you processor-washing us!" "Ok, ok. I'll talk to you non-telepathically, Ratchet. You hold so many similarities with our Ratchet from our dimension" said Soundwave as he walked out of the room. Optimus sighed, then followed Soundwave out of the medical bay area as Ratchet computed a few commands into the computer. What was he talking about? thought Blackarachnia as Ratchet monitored her life signals.
Several weeks have passed, and Blackarachnia began talking again. "So, how are you doing today?" asked Optimus as he sat down next to her. "Still stiff, thanks to that fraggin femme" spat Blackarachnia. Optimus sighed, then moved his servo and traced some of Blackarachnia's circuitry on her head. She flinched when he first moved his servo, but relaxed when Optimus gently stroked her circuitry, then began stroking some of her pinchers on her head. "I like these" said Optimus as he tickled one of them with a digit. "You're not saying that out of pity, are you?" said Blackarachnia as she raised an optic ridge. "He's being truthful" said Soundwave as he leaned in the doorway. Optimus cast him a shocked look as Blackarachnia hissed at the satellite. "Optimus still loves you for who you are, not by how you look" he said as he left the room. She relaxed down on the berth and looked directly at Optimus straight in the optic. "Is that true?" she said as Optimus looked at her. "Well…" he said as he paused for a moment, then said "Yes, I still do. But" as he caressed her body with a servo "I happen to think that you've become more beautiful as a spider." He what? "You…you think that I'm beautiful like this?" said Blackarachnia in shock as she moved her neck to get a better look at Optimus. "Well…yeah, I do. I happen to like these" he said as he gently slid a digit along her back pincher. "And this" he said as he caressed her abdomen. "And" he said as he kissed her "that, deep down, I know that you're still Elita-1." Blackarachnia was silent for a moment, then said, "Doesn't my being as a techno-organic creep you out? I mean, Sentinel said that…" as Optimus placed a digit on her mouth. "Listen, being organic doesn't creep me out at all. In fact, it rather turns me on" said Optimus as he gave off a low sexual growl. Blackarachnia was quiet for a while as she took in what Optimus said. "So, being an organic isn't creeping you out?" said Blackarachnia, as she blushed a bit. "Yeah, it doesn't. Sari's also is a techno-organic, so you're not alone" said Optimus as he enclosed one of Blackarachnia's servos within his own.
"Come on! Get to the interfacing! Waspinator bored out of his processor. Create entertainment for Waspinator!" shouted the robotic insect at the next berth. Optimus just blushed and looked away, embarrassed at what Waspinator said. "Just ignore him, Optimus. Waspinator is trying to be a dominant mech. I think that it's way of trying to be tough" said Blackarachnia as she tried to squeeze Optimus' servo with her own, but could only give a weak grip.
While Optimus and Blackarachnia were talking, Professor Powell was working at his laboratory when an assistant came rushing in. He handed a letter to Powell, and Powell read it. He smiled, then said to himself "Soon, I'll put Professor Sumdac out of business with this discovery.
One week after Optimus admitted that he still loved Blackarachnia, the femme spider began moving her arms and legs slightly. Ratchet said she was ready to start relearning on how to walk again. Optimus tried to help Blackarachnia up, but she refused his help and tried to walk on her own. After falling, Optimus gently picked her up, saying "You're still not ready to be walking on your own. It takes time to reprogram a vital function."
Over the next few days, Blackarachnia began walking more (with Optimus' help.) Whenever Berserk passed by, Blackarachnia would freeze on the spot as the psychotic robot passed the spider. "Listen, Berserk won't harm you if you don't bother her or if you leave her sparkling alone" said Optimus to Blackarachnia in an attempt to calm her down. "I, I don't like her. She's the reason that I've lost several vital programs" said Blackarachnia nervously.
