S.H.I.E.L.D. Base
Top-Secret Research Laboratory
"Unbelievable… absolutely unbelievable!"
"In such a compact cube—this much raw energy?!"
Excited voices filled the lab, overflowing with awe and obsession.
At the center of it all stood Arnim Zola, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current chief scientist. He was surrounded by a team of researchers, all intently focused on a large test bench.
Sitting on that bench was a massive metallic cube, roughly two meters across on each side—silent, unmoving… for now.
Each of its surfaces was etched with intricate, alien glyphs that defied understanding—patterns so complex they seemed almost alive.
The AllSpark.
Yes, this was the very artifact Alex had been searching for all along.
It turned out that Howard Stark's previous intel was spot-on—S.H.I.E.L.D. had indeed found something big in the Arctic.
That something?
Megatron—exactly as Alex had called it.
But that wasn't all.
Alongside Megatron, they had stumbled upon another miraculous discovery: the AllSpark itself.
S.H.I.E.L.D. showed immense interest in both—pouring vast resources into their analysis.
Howard Stark had even handed off all his other responsibilities to the other two founding members, choosing instead to dive headfirst into the AllSpark project with Zola.
---
"This thing is like the Tesseract—it's a power source," Howard said, inspecting the readings. "But it's… different."
"It's true the energy output doesn't match the Tesseract," Zola replied, eyes gleaming at the data. "But it's still extraordinary."
Then Howard's tone shifted.
"But Zola… there's a problem."
His enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "The cube emits a high level of radiation. Our base can't contain it."
"If UB6 picks up even a trace of it, it'll cause major trouble."
Zola's expression grew solemn.
He wasn't surprised. As a top-level scientist himself, he understood the implications.
"With this level of radiation, we'd need walls two football fields thick—at least—to shield the signal," he agreed grimly.
---
Crackle!
As the two were talking, the previously inert AllSpark suddenly flared to life.
A blinding beam of light shot from one of its faces, startling the entire lab.
The artifact had activated—on its own.
---
"Everyone alright?" Howard called out, scanning the team.
"We're fine, sir, just—wait, what the hell?!"
One of the agents stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide.
The pistol at his waist had begun to rattle… and then reshape.
The weapon contorted—transforming like a living machine.
Panicked, the agent tossed it to the ground.
"Sh*t! What the hell is that?!"
But he wasn't the only one.
One after another, every agent in the lab experienced the same phenomenon—their gear began to mutate and reconfigure.
Even the lab's machinery and equipment weren't spared.
---
CLACK—CLACK—CLACK.
The sound of gears twisting and metal folding filled the room.
Anything metallic, anything with structure, began to transform—splitting, shifting, assembling with terrifying coordination.
---
"Damn it!"
Howard Stark was the first to realize what was happening.
Having seen the Decepticons transform before, he recognized it instantly.
Everything in the lab was going Decepticon.
And sure enough—
In the next moment, to the horror of everyone present, one Decepticon after another emerged from the now-mutated equipment.
---
BANG BANG BANG!
With no warning, the mini-Decepticons opened fire.
Weaponized and merciless, they targeted every human in sight.
---
"Go! Get out of here!"
"Call the rapid response unit! NOW!"
"Sir, we need to retreat—immediately!"
The lab descended into chaos.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents scrambled to escape, dodging plasma blasts as they ran for the exit.
But the Decepticons gave chase, firing without hesitation.
---
They stormed out of the lab, flooding into the base's main compound.
---
"What the hell?!"
"What are those?!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
Soldiers and scientists reached for weapons, trying to mount a defense.
All across the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound, firefights erupted.
---
And amid the chaos…
A Decepticon named Bladelock slipped away unnoticed.
His infiltration had worked perfectly.
He had triggered the AllSpark's energy spike on purpose—to create confusion and buy himself the time he needed.
---
He made his way to a secondary control room, moving like a shadow.
The guards who were supposed to be there had all rushed off to deal with the chaos.
No one remained.
Bladelock wasted no time.
He located the control terminal and ripped it apart with a violent swipe.
It was the control system for the cryogenic unit.
The one keeping Megatron frozen.
---
Elsewhere in the facility…
In a separate underground lab, sealed and frigid—
A towering metallic giant, over ten meters tall, stood chained to a reinforced support frame.
Pipes pumped liquid nitrogen into the chamber, keeping the temperature at sub-zero levels to maintain his dormant state.
That giant… was Megatron.
---
But the moment the cryo-system shut down—
HIS EYES OPENED.
---
BOOM!
BOOM!
Gunfire still echoed throughout the base. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were managing to push back the invading Decepticons.
They had the numbers.
They had the training.
And the enemy? These were just small-scale drones, hastily awakened.
Ultimately, S.H.I.E.L.D. succeeded in eliminating them.
---
But no one realized the true threat had already awakened.
In that deep chamber, Megatron turned his head, red optics glowing as he scanned the room.
"What… is this damn place?"
His voice was a guttural growl of confusion and fury.
He raised one arm.
BOOM!
A single blast blew a hole in the laboratory wall.
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