The morning sun shimmered over Mission City, casting golden light across rooftops and power lines. Birds chirped peacefully—unaware that something monumental was unfolding just beyond human understanding.
Zayden stood at the edge of a freeway overpass, arms crossed as he scanned the traffic below. Beside him in vehicle mode sat Arcee—her motorcycle form sleek, silent, and glinting with a subtle pink hue.
He tapped the side of his Omnitrix. "NEX, confirm the signal again."
> "Autobot signature detected. Model: Bumblebee. Location: Archer's Auto Lot, south district. Secondary ping—unknown Decepticon presence approaching."
Zayden's eyes narrowed. "They're going to intercept him before Sam even gets near him. The timeline's off."
"Then we change it," Arcee said, her voice transmitted through her vehicle form. "We get to him first."
Zayden nodded. "Let's roll."
He vaulted down to Arcee's seat, transforming her engine to life with a roar. Together, they raced into the city.
---
Elsewhere, a yellow Camaro sat quietly, parked near a dusty lineup of secondhand cars. Bumblebee, in disguise, scanned incoming data. His sensors twitched as two signals approached—one familiar, one unknown.
Then the sky above him rippled.
A streak of black and violet energy descended from the clouds, crashing into the alley nearby. The ground shook. Bumblebee's optics widened as a new threat emerged—a Decepticon flyer with a humanoid body, pitch-black armor, and glowing red optics.
Not Starscream.
Worse.
A new agent of Megatron's design—Riftstrike.
The Decepticon cracked his neck, then spoke in a glitched, static voice. "Target acquired: Bumblebee. Orders: terminate or corrupt."
Bumblebee started his engine and peeled out of the lot, tearing down the road.
But Riftstrike took to the air.
The chase had begun.
---
Zayden and Arcee swerved through city streets, bypassing red lights and speeding past startled pedestrians. The Omnitrix glowed a warning shade of orange.
> "Pursuit detected. Enemy aerial unit engaging Bumblebee. Coordinates locked."
"I'm on it," Zayden said.
He twisted the Omnitrix faceplate and slammed it down.
Green light exploded as his body shifted—metal folding over flesh, circuits replacing skin. In seconds, he stood transformed as Jetvolt, a sleek, winged alien with plasma-jet legs and arc-tipped hands.
He leapt into the sky with a burst of ion thrust, leaving a thundercrack behind.
"Zayden in the air," he said through his comms. "On intercept course."
---
Bumblebee weaved through traffic, transforming briefly to vault over an oncoming truck before slamming back into vehicle mode. Behind him, Riftstrike dove from the sky, unleashing a barrage of plasma shots that scorched the pavement and sent cars skidding.
Pedestrians screamed and scattered. The news helicopters began circling overhead.
So much for secrecy.
Just as Riftstrike fired another blast, Jetvolt rocketed through the air and tackled him mid-flight. The two clashed above the city, spiraling downward in a chaotic ballet of sparks and force.
"You're new," Riftstrike snarled. "But your spark doesn't belong."
"Neither does your ugly face!" Jetvolt snapped, unleashing a plasma punch that sent Riftstrike tumbling.
They crashed into a construction site, tearing through scaffolding and steel beams. Workers fled in terror.
Zayden landed in a roll, then rose from the rubble, Omnitrix glowing brighter than ever. "Come on, Decepti-freak. Let's make this quick."
Riftstrike charged—but Zayden was ready.
Using his jet-speed agility, he dodged every blow and retaliated with electric strikes that sent tremors through Riftstrike's systems. Finally, with a spiraling arc-blast from both hands, Zayden sent the Decepticon crashing into a generator, where it exploded in a surge of blue fire.
The Decepticon screeched… then fled into the sky, damaged but not destroyed.
"Coward," Zayden muttered.
He landed beside Bumblebee, who had transformed back into robot mode behind an alley.
Zayden deactivated the Omnitrix and stepped forward with a grin. "Yo. Bee. You don't know me yet, but I've been dying to say this… Permission to come aboard?"
Bumblebee tilted his head, analyzing Zayden's bio-signal. No Decepticon trace. No aggression. But full of… something new.
The Autobot gave a thumbs-up and played a radio clip:
> "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Zayden laughed. "I'll take it."
Arcee arrived moments later, skidding to a stop before transforming back into her robot form. "You alright?"
Zayden nodded. "Just made contact with Bee. Riftstrike tried to end him before we even got a chance to start this war."
Arcee's eyes narrowed. "Megatron's forces are accelerating. They know the AllSpark's window is opening soon."
Bumblebee transmitted a frequency. The message was clear: "We need Optimus."
Zayden touched the Omnitrix. "Then let's get this team together."
---
In a distant base cloaked by ancient desert sands, a massive form stirred—Optimus Prime's stasis pod pulsed with blue light. A whisper of awakening passed through the Matrix of Leadership.
Elsewhere in the shadows, Starscream's optics flickered to life. "He's arrived…" he hissed. "The anomaly. The one Megatron warned us about."
The war wasn't just beginning.
It was rewriting itself—and Zayden was the new prime variable.