Author's Note: So who else wan't an explanation for this? I know I do.

Chapter 13

For a long moment there was complete silence in the room. Blackarachnia stared at the velociraptor in a mixture of rage and confusion. Then she chuckled cryptically, which the male took as a very bad sign.

"Very funny," she said dryly. "No offence, but Taratron was a Maximal," Dinobot didn't say anything, his features grim, and finally the female's optics widened in horrifying realization. "Wasn't he?!"

"No," the former Predacon shook his head. He took a deep breath and released it in an exhausted sigh, then gestured at the chair. "Sit down, little sister. We have a lot to discus, and I have a lot to explain."

Still partially paralyzed by the bombardment of shocking news, Blackarachnia fell into the chair. Dinobot took a seat in front of her and leaned further in onto his elbows. After another long stretch of silence, Blackarachnia swallowed hard and looked up at him.

"Why did you tell me that Taratron was dead?" Oddly enough, she realized that her first question had nothing to do with his betrayal.

"I thought it may be easier for you if you believed that I was dead, rather then for you to know the truth behind my dishonorable actions," he answered slowly.

"And," she looked down, away from his scarlet gaze, "what is the truth?"

"It is very difficult to explain," he bit down on his lower lip. "Much of it has very little to do with you, in fact. I assume you know what the Predacon Secret Police is?"

"Sort of. I know Tarantulas was part of it."

"Correct. The Predacon Secret Police partially resembled the Maximal Investigation Unit, what you'll remember as the M.I.U.. Their primary missions also revolved around gathering information, but many of the Predacons that were part of the Secret Police had additional assignments. Shifter's —Tarantulas'— was to deal with the Maximal prisoners of war. I was part of the Predacon Secret Police as well. However my task was different."

"Wait!" she interrupted. "The Predacons were not supposed to know about the M.I.U.!"

" 'Were not supposed to know' and 'did not know' are to very different things, child," he pointed out.

"But you! You were part of the M.I.U.! You served in the Maximal military! You were there at Helm's Deep twenty-two stellar cycles ago!" Blackarachnia realized that she was grasping at straws, because part of her mind simply refused to accept the facts.

"Yes, I was there...as a Predacon spy. You see, the truth is that the Tripredicus Council knew of the existence of the M.I.U. for a very long time, but they had no knowledge of the internal operations, nothing but the general function of the organization. They needed to know more, and for that to occurred, they needed someone on the inside."

"But you were with the Maximal military for many stellar cycles before the M.I.U.," she objected. "We were recruited together, and I was twenty-five stellar cycles of age then."

"True, and I was over forty then. Part of the reason you were recruited is in fact the same reason why the Predacons wanted you dead so greatly," he looked at the nightstand on the other side of the room. "Do you see that pen? Bring it here."

"What?! What in the inferno does that slagin' pen have to do with anything?!"

"A great deal. Now do as I ask," Blackarachnia sighed and got up.

"What are you doing?" Dinobot interrupted.

"Getting the slagin' pen."

"I said 'bring it here' not 'get up and take it,'" he corrected. "Use your mind, Blackarachnia. Call it to you."

Annoyed and confused, she reached out for the pen on the table. It began to tremble in its place from her mental nudges, then sprang into the air hovering a foot above the table. With another mental push from Blackarachnia, it flew across the room and into her open palm. She stared at it for a nanoclick then handed it to Dinobot, who nodded.

"This is why you were so infamous among the Predacons and why Shifter wanted to reprogram you," he held up the pen for both of them to see. "You showed signs of telekinetic potential as early as age nine."

"And of course you made sure that the Predacons knew about it," she said sarcastically.

"I never told them anything," Dinobot objected. "They found out by accident. You probably don't remember this, but when you were about nine, you were captured by the Predacons. They had no reason to keep you prisoner, and I did make sure you were released. But during the few solar cycles that you were in their captivity, your abilities manifested, probably due to high levels of stress. Some of the Predacons took note of this, and the Tripredicus Council questioned me."

"What did you tell them?"

"I attempted to convince them that you were not a threat," he explained, "but they did not agree with me. They argued that if you were to join the army, the Maximals would have a great strategic advantage over the Predacons. They never saw you as an individual, little sister. All they saw was a weapon. One of them suggested reprogramming, but I quickly reminded them that it would blow my cover. 'She is only a child,' I told them. 'You still have time. Leave her in my care, and I will personally see to it that she will not become a liability.' The Tripredicus Council finally agreed, though very reluctantly. Do you follow me so far?"

"I think so," she nodded.

"Good. Everything was relatively quiet for many stellar cycles, but by the time we were reassigned to the M.I.U., the Tripredicus Council was once again questioning me on the subject. They were concerned that you were becoming too powerful and too attached to the Maximal way of life. Finally they gave me an ultimate: terminate your life, or allow Shifter to reprogram you into a Predacon. I chose the later."