Zayden moved through the ancient Autobot vault, his boots clanging lightly against the cold metal floor. The silence felt sacred—like this place hadn't seen life in centuries. Dim blue lights flickered to life with each step he took, activating ancient tech one by one.
NEX floated beside him, scanning everything in sight.
> "Cybertronian tech integrity at 42%. Vault's power core is decayed, but backup conduits still functional. This facility was hidden for a reason."
Zayden raised an eyebrow. "Why'd the Autobots abandon a lab like this?"
> "Possible wartime retreat. Or perhaps… they wanted to keep certain data buried."
He reached the central console. It was rusted and scratched, but a faint pulse indicated it still held power. He placed a hand on the surface.
The interface blinked.
> "Authorization Required: Autobot Command."
Zayden smirked. "Let's cheat the system."
He activated the Omnitrix and selected Glitchbyte again. In a burst of green light, his body reshaped into the silicon-hacker form. Streams of data flowed down his arms as he linked directly into the console. His mind slipped into the system like a key sliding into a lock.
Security protocols flared—Autobot code defenses—but Zayden wasn't just hacking blindly. His mind, filled with knowledge from his past life, recognized the interface protocols. He knew how they worked.
Within moments, the vault's entire database opened before him.
Hundreds of logs. Research reports. Blueprints. Location coordinates.
And at the center… Earth.
Zayden's projection zoomed in on the spinning image of a blue planet. Dozens of pins lit up across the globe—hidden relics, crash sites, stasis pods, and coded anomalies.
"NEX," he said, slowly reverting to human form, "why are there this many Cybertronian markers on Earth before the war even reaches it?"
NEX pulsed, scanning the map.
> "This predates Bumblebee's mission. Some of these entries are over a million Earth years old. This isn't post-war fallout. This is… something else."
"Why Earth?" Zayden muttered. "Why does everything in this universe always come back to Earth?"
> "Perhaps the answer lies deeper in the logs."
Zayden dove into the encrypted files, bypassing each layer with practiced ease. Soon, he uncovered a hidden audio recording—tagged under a name that sent a chill down his spine.
"Project Originus"
The audio hissed to life. A deep voice spoke—wise, steady, familiar.
"This is Alpha Trion. If you are hearing this, then the Earth-bound vaults have been compromised. The knowledge stored here is not to be taken lightly. For beneath that planet's surface lies more than Energon or old relics… it hides the remains of the First Forged."
Zayden's eyes widened.
"The First Forged?"
Alpha Trion continued.
"Before the AllSpark… before even Primus forged the first sparks of life… there was one who transcended the divide between matter and spark. A being who became the foundation of all Cybertronian evolution. His essence was scattered… hidden. And the largest fragment resides deep within Earth's mantle."
NEX buzzed, visibly shaken. > "If this is true… then Earth isn't just a coincidence. It's a cradle."
Zayden leaned back, mind spinning. Earth wasn't just a battlefield. It was a tomb. A vault. Maybe even… a forge.
Suddenly, the vault lights dimmed.
A tremor ran through the floor.
Zayden stood up fast. "What was that?"
> "Unknown seismic event. Non-natural. Energy signature—Decepticon, approaching rapidly."
Zayden ran to the vault entrance and peeked out.
In the distance, a massive Decepticon gunship was descending, flanked by two seekers. Purple lights flickered across the skyline. They weren't looking for survivors. They were looking for something.
"They tracked the energy from my transformation," he hissed. "Dammit."
> "Recommend immediate relocation. Engaging them now would expose you too early."
Zayden nodded. "Agreed."
But not without backup.
He turned back to the vault, grabbing a small hexagonal container from the console. It hummed in his hand—clearly portable. Inside were the vault's core data, maps, logs, and project notes. Everything Alpha Trion had buried.
"I'm not letting this fall into Decepticon hands."
> "Course of action?"
"We're going to Earth."
---
Later, in the shadows of Cybertron's upper atmosphere, Zayden stood inside a cloaked escape pod built for stealth and speed. It had no weapons. No long-range comms. But it was fast.
And it was heading toward a blue and green marble floating in the void.
Earth.
He sat at the console, watching the stars warp around him. NEX floated quietly beside him, recalibrating the Omnitrix's DNA library based on exposure during the vault's data scan.
Zayden turned the Omnitrix's faceplate, watching alien icons spin once more.
"I have time," he whispered to himself. "Time to prepare. Time to change everything."
> "Multiple Earth-bound anomalies detected. Suggest starting in the Western quadrant—North America. High Decepticon interest. And… earliest Autobot arrival pattern."
Zayden narrowed his eyes.
That meant Bumblebee wasn't far from being sent to Earth.
That meant Sam Witwicky wasn't far from discovering the map to the AllSpark.
That meant the war was about to begin.
But this time, he wouldn't wait in the background.
He'd be there from the start. Not as a soldier… but as the world's true protector.
Zayden looked down at the Omnitrix.
"Let's wake this world up."