Night had fallen over the forested ridges outside Mission City. The stars blinked overhead, but below, the world was stirring. Not with human life—but with sparks, energy, and ancient machines waking from forced slumber.
Zayden sat on a fallen log, his back against a tree, the Omnitrix glowing dimly on his wrist like a sleeping giant's eye. Beside him, Arcee stood in her Cybertronian form, her eyes scanning the treeline. Every few minutes, a low vibration trembled in the earth beneath them. Something was moving out there.
"Tell me again," Arcee asked, voice soft but tense, "how you knew I was here?"
Zayden tapped the side of his head. "Let's just say I've got a good memory... and some deep connections to Cybertronian vaults that were never meant to be opened."
She gave him a sidelong look. "You're not from Earth, are you?"
He hesitated. "I was born here. But I'm… not just human anymore."
He turned the Omnitrix's faceplate slowly, letting the alien symbols rotate in a quiet glow. Arcee leaned closer, studying it. "That's not Cybertronian tech."
"Nope. Think of it as… universal DNA control," Zayden said. "It's recalibrated to me. No one else can use it—not even other species. It bonded to my soul."
"Sounds dangerous."
"Only if you're not the good guy," he replied, smiling faintly.
She didn't smile back, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
Suddenly, the forest quieted. Not a bird, not a whisper of wind.
Zayden stood instantly. "NEX, give me eyes."
> "Thermal scan initiated. Movement—low to the ground. Six-legged form. Bio-energy signature: Cyber-organic. Match found—Decepticon assassin: Airachnid."
Zayden's breath caught. "You're kidding me. She's awake already?"
Arcee's blaster formed from her arm instantly. "Airachnid… we need to leave. Now."
"No time," Zayden said. "She's already tracking us. If we run, she'll tail us until we're exposed. If we fight her here, in the forest, we've got a chance."
Arcee hesitated, then nodded grimly.
> "Contact in 15 seconds," NEX warned. "Initiating defensive analysis."
The treeline exploded.
A blur of black and violet shot through the shadows, striking Arcee with a whiplike limb and sending her flying back. Zayden rolled aside just as three razor-sharp tendrils buried themselves into the tree behind him.
Then she stepped into the moonlight.
Tall. Elegant. Deadly.
Airachnid.
Her spindly limbs clicked together as her optics narrowed on Zayden. "You're not an Autobot," she purred. "But… you're not entirely human, either."
Zayden raised the Omnitrix. "I'm whatever you need me to be, spider-lady."
With a flash of green, he slammed down the faceplate—transforming into Infernogrip, a towering beast with molten skin, armored plates, and claws glowing with internal fire.
Airachnid hissed in surprise. "What are you?"
"Your problem," Infernogrip growled, and charged.
They clashed with force that shook the forest. Arcee recovered and joined the fray, twin blasters firing nonstop. Airachnid moved like liquid death—dodging, slicing, vanishing into trees and striking from unexpected angles.
But Zayden was faster.
Infernogrip's claws caught one of her limbs mid-slash and crushed it with a burst of heat. She screamed, leaping backward to retreat.
Zayden morphed back to human form mid-motion and pulled a plasma blade from his belt, one of many tools he'd crafted from the Cybertronian vaults.
Arcee rushed beside him. "She's regrouping. You hurt her."
Zayden narrowed his eyes. "Good. Let her know we're not pushovers."
The shadows shimmered. Airachnid stepped into view again—now in a new form. Not her Cybertronian body… but a humanoid one.
She was beautiful, dangerous—dark hair cascading around pale skin, eyes glowing violet, body sleek in a black armored suit that matched her former frame. But her power radiated from within. Still her. Still deadly.
Zayden blinked. "What the hell—how did she...?"
> "Warning," NEX buzzed. "Airachnid's spark evolved upon exposure to Earth's biogenic field. She is now a trans-dimensional hybrid. Capable of full humanoid transformation."
Airachnid smiled. "Surprised, little hero?"
Zayden grinned back. "Honestly? Kinda impressed."
She licked her lips. "I could peel your secrets apart, you know. Whatever you are… I want to study it. Intimately."
Arcee raised her blaster. "Touch him, and I'll vaporize your spark."
Zayden stepped forward. "We're done here. You've seen what I can do. Stay in the shadows, or next time I won't hold back."
Airachnid tilted her head, smiling coolly. "Then I'll be watching. And one day, you'll beg to join me."
With a flurry of energy, she vanished into the forest.
Silence returned.
Zayden sighed and sat down on a rock. "Well. That was one hell of a first meeting."
Arcee didn't sit. She stared at where Airachnid had disappeared. "She's not the only one waking up."
Zayden nodded. "I know. That was just the first spark in the shadows."
---
In the Arctic, beneath layers of ancient ice, Megatron's fingers twitched. A pulse echoed from the deep Earth—ancient, resonant, and angry.
The war was no longer coming.
It had already begun.