Airachnid and I marched with firm steps toward the massive freezer, followed by a few soldiers and the reluctant Simmons. In my hands, I held the replica of the Allspark with the casual ease of someone carrying a basketball, though it was obvious the artifact weighed tons.
"Airachnid, tell me more about this Grimlock guy. Is he someone you can actually talk to… or is it all just roaring and smashing?"
"Honestly, Lux? He was so strong that not even Optimus Prime could give him orders," she said, with a rare hint of respect in her voice, as I noticed her slowly starting to shiver from the cold.
"So basically, he's a tank with legs and no patience…" I sighed. "Let's hope this works."
When we reached the enormous cryogenic chamber, we found a dozen soldiers trying to keep the giant under control. They were using cryo-weapons that looked like souped-up nitrogen fire extinguishers to restrain the Autobot, who was struggling fiercely to break free. It was clear that the prolonged freezing had weakened him, but not enough to calm his fury.
"Simmons, please, get these idiots to stop trying to kill the robot before he kills everyone!" I looked at him impatiently.
He hesitated, but common sense won out. He began shouting orders for the soldiers to cease fire, even having to lower a few weapons himself when some refused to comply.
"When I get out of this cursed prison, I'll crush every single one of you!" Grimlock roared in Cybertronian—a language only Airachnid and I obviously understood here.
"Shouting in that language won't help, buddy. The humans here barely master two, let alone an alien one," I said in the same language, approaching calmly. "Luckily for you, I'm a polyglot."
Grimlock glared at me with pure fury. His eyes glowed as if he was about to reduce me to dust… until he saw what I was carrying. His sensors locked onto the fake Allspark, and his expression shifted from rage to astonishment.
"Allspark…" he whispered. The aggression stopped. It was as if he had just seen a ghost.
"This thing?" I feigned surprise. "Oh, it's nothing special. Just a high-tech Styrofoam replica." I spun the fake cocoon like a ball, poking fun at the tension in the room.
"You dare mock the Allspark, filthy flesh creature?" Grimlock growled, struggling violently again.
I raised my metallic arm. A golden glow radiated from the cocoon surrounding it. I locked eyes with Grimlock and said only:"Enough. Behave."
He froze instantly—not out of fear, but instinct. Even he seemed confused by it.
"By Primus' circuits… what are you?" he asked, stunned.
I stared back, letting my essence manifest. In that moment, he understood. His robotic crimson eyes seemed to dilate, as though gazing into infinity.
"You… are the Allspark," he murmured.
With him calmer, I handed the fake cocoon to Airachnid and, with a gesture, materialized a weapon—a sort of modified flamethrower. I aimed at Grimlock and fired. The special flames reacted only to the ice, melting his prison without harming the giant. In seconds, he was free, though his movements were still sluggish, probably from the long stasis.
"Today… I stand before the Allspark?" he muttered, confused and reverent.
"Call me Lux. We're on Earth—a tiny little planet far from Cybertron. And above us, a war is breaking out… and guess who's become the prime target?"
I looked at the towering figure before me. At nearly 40 feet tall, Grimlock made Airachnid look like an action figure. His presence radiated pure intimidation.
"So, Grimlock…" I said with a half-smile. "Care to lend us your strength?"
The colossus slowly lowered himself, placing one knee to the ground. It was a cautious gesture, but full of respect. His eyes shifted from me to Airachnid, still gauging what she represented.
"If you're wondering, the goth by my side is named Airachnid," I said casually.
"A filthy Decepticon," Grimlock snarled, reaching out to grab her.
I raised my hand, cutting him off with a subtle golden glow in my metallic arm. Thankfully, he pulled back immediately.
"I'm not much of a philosopher, Grimlock, but yesterday's enemy can be today's ally. I saw the Decepticons try to kill her with my own eyes. She's in the same boat as us."
"Feel free to be jealous, Autobot," Airachnid lifted her chin proudly. "At this moment, I am the sole and primary guardian of the Allspark. You're speaking to a veteran."
Grimlock looked at her with disdain."With that flesh body? You would never protect the Allspark effectively, worm."He was visibly holding himself back from crushing her right then and there.
Airachnid smirked mockingly. Without hesitation, she began to transform. Her metallic legs unfolded from her back with a sharp mechanical snap, while her body shifted into the lethal yet alluring form of a humanoid robotic spider.
"Let's see if you still have a sharp tongue once I rip it out of your throat," she threatened, her legs positioning toward Grimlock's head, ready to strike.
"Now it's your turn to keep your crew under control," Simmons said behind me, clearly pleased to throw one of my earlier jabs back at me.
"I know…" I muttered with a slight twitch in my eye, stepping between the two titans. "You two… knock it off."
It was almost comical, if you think about it — I was literally the only thing standing between two idiots from beating each other to a pulp.
"Consider yourself lucky, Autobot," Airachnid growled as she backed off. "If not for Lux, your head would already be rolling on the floor."
"When this is over," Grimlock shot back, clenching his fists, "I'm going to grind your face into the ground."
He slammed his fist into the floor so hard that the entire room shook. Several pieces of equipment fell off the shelves, and a hole cracked open in the concrete floor.
"Simmons…" I said, eyeing the damage. "I hope you have good insurance."
"You know very well that insurance doesn't cover alien-related damage," he replied, already anticipating the paperwork nightmare — not to mention all the doors Airachnid had so politely smashed along the way.
I clapped my hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, enough fooling around. We all know we'll be improvising most of this — as usual. But we still need a base plan. The fake Allspark will be perfect for a massive distraction. However, we have to draw the battle away from the dam. If it goes down, millions will be left without homes, without power, and with all those typical little democracy problems… which I don't have the patience to explain right now. Got it?"
One of the soldiers who had been freezing Grimlock earlier raised his hand.
"You're really going to charge in purely on improvisation? No plan B?"
"My friend, with all due respect… do you really think we have a choice? We've got giant robots firing in every direction, a colossal warship hovering overhead, and you seriously want to go in fair and square? Yeah, no. We'll have to dance to the music and just hope we don't turn into dust by the chorus."
"In short," Airachnid said, spinning the fake cocoon like a basketball, "it's going to be one big performance. And I must admit, I'm curious to see Autobots and Decepticons clawing at each other while chasing me like lunatics."
"Airachnid, I know your armor's pretty tough right now… but it's not going to withstand giant cannons firing at you non-stop. A little common sense wouldn't kill you, okay?"
"If there are Decepticons on the field, then it's mine to handle!" Grimlock growled. "I'll crush every last one of them with my own hands. I don't care who's in my way. They'll all be destroyed."
"Terrifying, but… thanks for the enthusiasm," I said dryly. "Simmons, do we have some kind of alternate entrance we can use to, I don't know… officially start this whole mess and maybe save the world?"
Simmons smirked."There's always a back door, Lux. Always."
"Then we've got ourselves a plan or at least the sketch of one. Airachnid, if things get out of control, don't hesitate. Teleport straight to the nearest city. We'll regroup there."
"You know I could very well miss the coordinates, right?" she replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Typical incompetent Decepticons," Grimlock muttered.
"Oh, by Primus…" I sighed deeply. "Alright, fine. Airachnid, you can sense my energy, right? Use that as your reference point. Focus on it. But for the love of all that exists — do not appear directly above my head. I can handle tons of pressure, but you are… well, you know."
She narrowed her eyes — vibrant amethyst purple. "I hope that wasn't a jab at my weight."
"Me? Never! I'd never do such a thing. Ever. Swear on Primus."