Author's Note: New chapter's here! Just in time for the premier of The Two Towers on Wednesday. YAY! ^_^ As most of you can tell, by now I am obsessed and proud of it. If you do watch it look for Éowyn, Éomer, and Faramir. These are my favorite characters in all three books, and in this story I often associate them with Blackarachnia, Dinobot, and Silverbolt in that order. Éomer and Éowyn are brother and sister with Éomer being four years older and the definition of 'over-protective big brother.' Éowyn and Faramir only meat in The Return of the King, but that's okay because they're such a romantic couple (like you-know-who.) Well enough said, on with the chapter.
Chapter 16After over three megacycles of staring at the streams of data code, Blackarachnia finally decided that there was no way she would be able to concentrate on any of it. Her mind simply refused to work, to think of anything beyond the events of the previous evening. She finally gave up on the code and shut down the terminal, leaning back in her chair deep in thought.
She had asked Silverbolt not to harm him, which was one of the things that unnerved her. Blackarachnia never tolerated any betrayals, why should she start now?
"Because," she whispered reaching across her desk to pick up the holographic generator and activate it, "when I think of Taratron, I see my brother, the man who raised me and taught me everything I know, not the one who betrayed me."
Returning the small holographic generator to its place on the table, she got up. Staying in the her quarters was obviously not helping at all, so Blackarachnia decided to take a stroll through the rest of the Ark. The Autobot ship itself was, of coarse, forbidden territory. Optimus didn't want anyone meddling with history, whether it was intentional or not. However in her case, Blackarachnia believed he would be willing to make an acceptation. There was someone in that ship who she really needed to talk to.
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"Well I gotta tell you, you're the last bot I expected to run into on this slagin' mission you sent me on," the female looked up at the enormous lifeless body of the Autobot Prowl. "How are you, sir? Don't worry about X: Depth Charge has that department under control. Not that I'm not doing my job, but he's just much more... loyal to it, and I have quite a few personal things to worry about."
She was silent for a moment, chewing on her lower lip. Even though Prowl was in stasis lock, wouldn't wake up for another four million years, and couldn't hear a word she said, Blackarachnia still felt a pang of guilt for what she was about to say.
"Did you know that he was a Predacon? No, I guess you wouldn't have," she chuckled. "See, I'm not mad at him for that. I was a Predacon too for a time, and I can understand some things. But he betrayed me. Kind of strange, don't you think? Primus knows how many of our secrets he gave away to the Tripredicus Council, how many people died at his hands, but all I care about is what he did to me. Wasn't it the same way with Shifter? I guess, that just means I'm a selfish person."
She moved a stray lock of hair way from her face, looking back up at her once and future commander. "What should I do now?" as expected the Autobot didn't reply, so Blackarachnia jumped down from the arm of the enormous chair. "Thanks anyway, sir. You always did know what to say."
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The next stop for her was the virtual reality battle simulator. Blackarachnia was surprised to find that it was still running. Chances are whoever used it last forgot to turn it off. Three guesses who that was? she thought as the thick gray fog clouded her optics. After it passed, the beautiful setting of the Japanese Dojo unfolded before her. She looked around and noticed the portable shelf of weapons. A long, thin, and slightly curved blade caught her attention, and she picked it up. It felt good to hold such an elegant weapon. She kicked off her boots, and bare-footed stepped onto the bamboo mat. A few fluid movements, and the blade sliced cleanly through the air, leaving nothing but a soft swoosh like the wind. She placed the sword back on the shelf. It was no use. Betrayal was like that; it wasn't an enemy she could fight with swords or guns. Blackarachnia sighed and sat down cross-legged on the mat.
Primus, what's wrong with me? she shut off her optics. I should know the drill by now. One should never trust a traitor. Never. And he's a traitor a million times over. He betrayed both the Maximals and the Predacons countless times, which was bad enough, but he betrayed me once, and that was worse. And what can I do about this betrayal? I don't want to kill him, but a part of me wants to hurt him for what he did.
Focus on something else, a part of her commanded. You're not helpless, not a victim. You don't want to get hurt again, and the best way to avoid it is to prepare for whatever that asshole has in store for you next. Tarantulas wants you for your abilities, right? So next time you'll give him everything you've got.
Blackarachnia's optics snapped open. She knew what she had to do. If she wanted any chance of getting out of this nightmare, she would have to do it on her own, and that meant bringing her abilities to full power. More importantly, she needed to learn how to control that power. Dinobot had mentioned that it manifested before during times of heightened emotional stress. While it was true that Blackarachnia could do some things, such as moving a small object through the air, she couldn't do anything like what he'd described. Now was the best time to learn.
She took a deep breath and shut off her optics again, drawing herself into the darkest reaches of her mind. Strangely enough, she soon discovered that she was not afraid. It's kind of like walking through a dark room, she thought. I know there is nothing here, in this darkness, that can harm me, but there is something unknown to me within my own mind, and that's what I'm here to find out.
With very little effort, she created the same setting in her mind as the one she was really in. Every detail, from the bamboo floor to the four windows to the weapon shelf, was present. Because it wasn't solid or even real, she willed it up. It sprang from the shelf, hovering about a meter from the ground. At Blackarachnia's mental command, it sliced through the air, simulating the motions she practiced earlier. When it stopped, the female left it hanging with the slightly curved end so close, she could almost feel the cold metal on the tip of her nose. Finally she switched her optics back on.
Though she half expected it, Blackarachnia was still a bit surprised to find the real, and very sharp, blade hovering in the air and pointed straight at her. Her mind wavered as her fluid pump sped up slightly, and the sword flinched. Realizing that she had lost control over it, she quickly ducked to the floor as the sword flew past and above her head. It hit the wall, which, despite the hologram that gave the impression of a wooden surface, was solid steel, and bent slightly. Blackarachnia got back up to her feet and picked it up. At least she was able to wield it. With more practice, she was confident that she could master her abilities and bring them to full power by the time her impending battle with Tarantulas arrived.