A storm brewed across the desert horizon, but it wasn't born from weather. It came from awakening machines buried deep beneath the Earth—Cybertronian beacons that pulsed with new energy. Ancient, dormant signals were stirring. Something had changed.
In a secret hangar carved into the rock beneath Nevada, Zayden stood inside a makeshift scanning chamber, stripped to his undershirt, arms raised as sensors traced lines of light across his body.
A massive Cybertronian structure loomed around him—one of the last hidden Skyvault facilities. Built by unknown hands, meant to repair, modify, and enhance Cybertronians—and now being rewritten for something new.
Something human.
Beside him, Bumblebee waited quietly. Arcee stood on a platform above, watching with interest.
"I still think this is crazy," Arcee said.
Zayden grinned. "That's because you haven't seen what 'crazy' can do yet."
The Omnitrix pulsed on his wrist, linked directly into the facility's core. Alien software bled into the walls—rewriting protocols, adapting the machines to a new kind of being. A hybrid. One part man. One part alien. One part… Cybertronian.
> "Processing complete," NEX announced in a smooth voice. "Initiating biomechanical fusion protocol."
The room dimmed. A pillar of blue-white light surged up from the floor around Zayden. His body rose slightly into the air, suspended in the field. He grit his teeth as thousands of microscopic nanites—extracted from Cybertronian tech and integrated with Omnitrix nanotech—swarmed his skin.
His muscles tightened. Circuits etched themselves along his bones. Steel-like tendons formed beneath the skin, visible for seconds before smoothing over with a sheen of reformed tissue.
The Omnitrix let out a long, low chime.
Zayden's eyes flashed green.
Then silence.
He dropped to the ground, landing on his feet, breathing hard.
"…Whoa," he muttered.
"Status?" Arcee asked, stepping down beside him.
Zayden rolled his shoulders. "Feels like my blood's part liquid metal now."
He held up his arm, and in response to a thought, a gauntlet of flexible Cybertronian alloy unfolded from under his skin, forming into a curved shield. Then it retracted.
"I'm not just human anymore. I'm forged in Cybertronian steel. And flesh."
Bumblebee played a clip of applause and a guitar riff.
Zayden grinned. "Thanks, Bee."
Arcee crossed her arms. "You understand this makes you more of a target, right?"
"I was already a target the moment I arrived in this world," Zayden replied. "Now, I'm just harder to kill."
He walked over to a nearby console and tapped the Omnitrix.
"Let's test the new blend."
The faceplate spun, scanning his current DNA now integrated with Cybertronian nanotech. The green glow surged, brighter than before. Zayden slammed it down.
His body shifted again, but this time there was no monstrous transformation—no alien creature.
Instead, sleek Cybertronian armor encased his body in a humanoid exo-form. Black and green plating covered him like a second skin, with glowing energy nodes along his chest, back, and legs. His face was covered by a retractable battle visor.
The transformation had birthed something new.
A fusion between Omnitrix power and Cybertronian engineering.
> "New form registered," NEX announced. "Designation: Techblade. Hybrid Class. Status: Combat-ready."
Zayden's voice came out layered—part human, part metallic. "Now this is badass."
Bumblebee bumped fists with him.
Arcee circled him slowly. "That armor… it's like a protoform, but stabilized over organic tissue. I've never seen anything like it."
Zayden retracted the armor with a flick of thought, returning to his human form. "This changes everything. Now I can fight in close without relying only on transformations. I'm part machine now."
He looked at the Omnitrix. "And the more I learn, the more I evolve."
A loud beep interrupted the moment.
> "Incoming signal," NEX warned. "Distress beacon. Civilian vehicle convoy attacked on Route 47. Energy reading suggests Decepticon ambush."
Zayden's eyes narrowed. "Time to test this new body."
He turned to Arcee and Bee. "Let's move."
---
Half an hour later, the trio raced through the desert. Arcee and Bee in vehicle mode; Zayden in a sleek hoverbike formed from his Techblade transformation, its wheels lifted into a magnetic levitation mode.
Smoke rose in the distance. The convoy had been torn apart—trucks flipped, cars scorched. People were huddled behind burning wreckage.
Above it all hovered a new Decepticon—Shatterglass, a femme-enforcer with violet plating and a cruel smile. Her voice echoed like static. "These soft shells won't last much longer. Megatron was right. Earth's insects break easily."
She aimed her arm cannon at a trapped mother and child.
Then the sand beneath her erupted.
Zayden burst from below, slamming a glowing fist into her midsection. Shatterglass was launched into the air, screeching as she tried to stabilize.
"Not on my watch," Zayden growled.
Arcee and Bee rolled in from opposite sides, transforming mid-motion and firing with precision.
The battle was swift—Shatterglass couldn't match their coordination. Zayden's new form allowed him to keep up with both Autobots, fighting like a sparkborn warrior.
Together, they forced her into retreat.
The civilians stared at the trio in awe.
"Who… what are you?" one man asked.
Zayden glanced at Bee, then Arcee. He smiled.
"Let's just say… Earth's got a new protector."
---
Far above Earth, deep in the orbiting wreckage of a lost Cybertronian ship, Airachnid watched the scene through a holo-feed.
In her human-like form, she smirked.
"So, the hybrid grows stronger," she whispered. "Let's see how far I can push him."
Behind her, Windblade watched silently—eyes unreadable.
The sparks of destiny had been forged.
And war was about to burn hotter than ever.