Optimus Prime was on the bridge of his ship, the Orion, watching an old documentary all about the Great War.
"Many many millions of years ago, war raged between the forces of the heroic Autobots and brutal Decepticons for control of the planet Cybertron. The Autobots battled valiantly in the name of honour, their courageous exploits inspiring hope and glory to a beleaguered war-torn planet and inspiring many generations of robots yet to come online."
"What a load of scrap metal," said Ratchet. Ratchet was his medical officer and an old veteran of the Great War; he was the only one on the crew who actually fought on the front lines. "Why do you waste your time watching those stupid history vids?"
"All the great Autobot leaders learned from the past," Optimus Prime explained.
"Look around, Prime! The Great Wars ended centuries ago."
"But you were there, Ratchet; you saw some action. What were the Decepticons really like?" Optimus asked eagerly.
"Trust me, kid, your better off not knowing," he said. "Besides, looks like the others could use a hand." Ratchet motioned to the window where Bulkhead could be seen hanging upside-down by a cable.
Bulkhead was a particularly large Autobot with incredible strength, but he was quite clumsy, and this wasn't the first time that he got stuck on his own wrecking ball.
"Bumblebee! My wreckin' ball's stuck again!" he shouted.
Optimus shook his head both he and Ratchet began making their way outside.
"You ever get the feeling that you are programmed for something for something more than just repairing space bridges, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.
"I've got a diagnostics program that can delete that feeling like a bad code," Ratchet chuckled.
Optimus shook his head, activated the docking doors, and walked out onto the rocky terrain. Event transfer and into vehicle mode and went out to help their crewmembers
Meanwhile, Bulkhead was growing impatient.
"I don't like heights, Bumblebee!" he complained.
"Cool your circuits, Bulkhead. I'm going as fast as I can. And you know there's no bot faster," Bumblebee bragged, leaping up the mountainside.
Bumblebee was the youngest and the smallest out of everyone on the crew, but he had a habit of jumping in without thinking. He finally reached the ledge where the wrecking ball was wedged. He pulled out his stingers. They charged and fired short, small bolts of electricity at the rocks, which still didn't give way. Bulkhead simply gave an unimpressed look. Bumblebee decided to try a hands-on approach and started to kick the rocks.
"I think I'm going to blow a gasket," said Bulkhead looking as if he was about to throw up.
"Just try to hold on a little longer!" Bumblebee said.
He gave one final kick and broke the rock holding Bulkhead, sending him falling. However, the kick had caused the ledge to become unstable and crumbling. Then suddenly, the two of them were caught by some webbing; the two young bots looked up and saw Blackarachnia in her beast mode had caught them with her webbing.
"Where were you to be without me?" she said.
"Probably flat on the ground beneath some rubble," said Bumblebee.
Blackarachnia then lowered them down and then transformed back into robot mode. She wore a new helmet that hit everything apart from her mouth and had the Autobot symbol engraved just below her neck. She was now Optimus' science officer as well as his second-in-command.
"Don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that," said Bumblebee.
"Alright, seems to be the problem?" Optimus asked, finally arriving with Ratchet close by.
"I think the technical term is, 'Bunch of Big Honking Rocks Jamming Space Bridge,'" Bumblebee informed, finally getting up.
"You know what I can't figure out?" said Bulkhead rising to his feet. "Why would anyone want to transport to this Allspark forsaken sector."
"That's not the point, Bulkhead. We have a job to do. And no problem insurmountable with the right tools and a little teamwork," Optimus then began to chop at the rocks around the Space Bridge with his laser-axe. "Everyone lend a servo! Blackarachnia! Bulkhead! You as well, Bumblebee! Come on, Ratchet!"
The others then began to break away at the rocks: Blackarachnia copied Bulkhead's strength, and together they began smashing the rocks, Bumblebee shot blasts of electricity, and Ratchet used his magnetic powers to pick up any metallic or magnetic debris.
"You too, Prowl," said Optimus noticing that he was missing. "Hey, where is Prowl?"
Suddenly a golden ninja chicken flew through the air, struck a rock, and returned to the hand that'd thrown it: Prowl. Prowl wasn't an official member of their crew; he was a cyber ninja that they had stumbled across after accidentally blowing up his ship. They agreed to take him back to Cybertron, but only after their work was completed, so he decided to help, somewhat reluctantly, to pick up the pace.
"Just have to know the weak spot," he said.
"Yeah, next time, you might wanna give us a little more warning," said Optimus.
"That would just mess up my timing."
"And they say I don't play well with others," said Blackarachnia folding her arms.
"Young bots," Ratchet sighed. "Can't live with them, and you can't melt them down for spare parts."
"Why he's so grumpy all the time?" Bulkhead whispered to Bumblebee.
"Well, you'd be grumpy too if you had one servo in the scrapheap," Bumblebee laughed quietly. Ratchet's hand struck Bumblebee in the back of the head.
"I may hone servo in the scrapheap, but I CAN STILL HEAR!"
"Okay, I know we may be stuck out in the middle of nowhere on a thankless assignment, but we're all still cogs in a great big Autobot machine!" Optimus lectured.
"Not this speech again," Prowl moaned to himself.
"Sometimes I find his optimism sickening," said Blackarachnia shaking her head.
"A machine that's stronger as a whole than any one component part," he continued, not noticing the space bridge charging behind him. "Together, we can move mountains!" On mountains, the space gate opened forcefully, blasting apart nearby boulders and sending the Autobots flying.
"Bad choice of words, Big Bot!" Bumblebee shouted.
Optimus activated the bolo cables in his gauntlets and swung after Bumblebee; he caught him and landed nearby Ratchet. He smashed an incoming boulder with his axe using the turbo rocket and leapt for Prowl, who used his jump jet to get out of the way. He used the turbo rocket on his act to fly up to him and catch him. He then pointed his wrist down and fired a net, capturing the boulders about to crush Bulkhead. Once he hit the ground, he released Prowl, extended the handle on his axe and bolted across the asteroid to get close to the space bridge. He then launched his grapple, hitting the controls switching off the space bridge.
During the chaos, Blackarachnia also showed some skills by swinging from the flying boulders smashing them with the strength she had borrowed from Bulkhead. She used her webbing to pull away any of the boulders flying at Optimus, which gave him a clear path.
Once all was said and done, everyone just stared at the two of them, astonished.
"Nice to see you haven't lost your stuff," said Blackarachnia.
"It seems as if you've picked up a few new tricks," Optimus noted.
"If going to be stuck in this techno-organic body, I might as well use it to my advantage," she said coldly.
"Impressive," said Prowl, closing Bulkhead's open jaw.
"Where did you two learn moves like that?" Bulkhead asked curiously.
"We trained at the Autobot Academy," Optimus said.
"So how'd two Academy bots end up on a broken-down maintenance crew?" Ratchet asked as he began to repair Bumblebee's arm.
Blackarachnia narrowed her eyes. "You think that they would accept a techno-organic like me. It was either working here or eternal incarceration."
"Okay, but what about Optimus?" Bumblebee asked. "I mean, with moves like that, he should be leading the Cybertron Elite Guard or something?"
Optimus looked at Blackarachnia immediately turned her back on him. It was then that they suddenly saw, a glowing blue light could be seen emanating from behind some large boulders. They approach the glowing boulders, and Optimus pull two of them away. He could tell that whatever was glowing was further down and then immediately pulled out his axe.
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea, Boss Bot," said Bulkhead.
"Prime, no!" Ratchet yelled.
Too late, Optimus had already swung his axe down, slicing through the remaining boulders. They then all saw sitting there was an orange decahedron shaped object the size of a box with strange markings on the surface, a small window on the front side, and handles on the left and right side
"What is it?" Bulkhead asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we should take it to the ship so the doc bot can check it out," Bumblebee suggested.
"Leave it!" said Ratchet lay before Bumblebee could touch it. "Or better yet, throw it back through the space bridge. This thing's not meant to be found," Ratchet said.
"What's got you so spooked all of a sudden, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.
"Teletraan-1 to Optimus Prime. Teletraan-1 to Optimus Prime," a computer said over the comlink, "Unidentified spacecraft bring the sector. Energy signature consistent with Decepticon warship."
"Decepticons? Th-that must be a mistake," said Optimus. "The Decepticons were destroyed centuries ago."
"For someone claiming to be a history buff, you really don't know your history," Blackarachnia huffed. "After the Great War, the Decepticons were exiled from Autobot space in exchange for not being trialled for war crimes."
"She's right," said Ratchet. "And we're waiting around for them to find us." He then quickly transformed into vehicle mode. "What are you bots waiting for? An invitation? Load it up, pronto!"
"They were defeated, not destroyed. But we don't have time to discuss this," Ratchet said, "Bulkhead! Carry it onto the ship pronto!"
"What's with the sudden rush? What is this thing?" Optimus asked, confused as Bumblebee and Prowl loaded the container.
"There's no time; let's move!" said Ratchet sounding anxious.
"Something tells me we've stepped into trouble again," said Blackarachnia.
They quickly followed Ratchet back into the ship and quickly retracted the docking port. Then they had Teletraan-1 flying them away from the space bridge.
"Prime, you're the history expert. Ever hear about the AllSpark?" Ratchet asked as Bumblebee and Prowl unloaded him.
"Yeah, most powerful thing in the universe. It gave the spark of life to every Cybertronians."
"Everyone knows that old story," Bulkhead said.
"Here's another one. The only reason we were able to win the Great Wars all those centuries ago was to keep the AllSpark out of Decepticon hands. So, send space bridge, and in some far-flung corner of the galaxy where they hoped no one would ever find it," Ratchet explained.
"Until now," said Blackarachnia.
"So what you're saying is that we found the AllSpark. The real AllSpark?" Bumblebee questioned.
"No, I'm saying that it found us," said Ratchet gravely
"Warning, spacecraft approaching. Positive identification of Decepticon Warship," Teletraan-1 informed.
"It's not the only one that found us," Prowl said.
The Autobots ran to the bridge and took their positions.
"It's following us," Prowl said.
"You wanted to see action, kid? Careful what you wish for," Ratchet said.
"Uh, hello. We're a repair crew. Please don't tell me you're actually thinking of taking on Decepticons!" Bumblebee panicked.
"Not without backup. Contact Cybertron Command," Optimus ordered.
"Wow, you want back at you go straight to the top," said Bulkhead.
A screen appeared on the holo-projector.
"Optimus Prime, in they still let you and other Autobots?" Sentinel Prime greeted. "Tell me, do you still have that techno-organic freak on your ship?"
"Out of all the Autobots to and it had to be the least helpful," Blackarachnia hissed.
"Ah, as ugly as ever, Blackarachnia."
"Don't start Sentinel; just put me through to Ultra Magnus," said Optimus.
"Now, how could a third-rate rock buster could possibly earn the Autobot Supreme Commander attention?"
Optimus frowned and turned to Blackarachnia. " Blackarachnia, display cargo hold visual."
"Gladly," Blackarachnia smirked, and seconds later, another screen appeared and showed the AllSpark glowing in the centre of the cargo bay.
Sentinel's cocky expression was then suddenly white from his face. "I- I'll put you through right away."
The screen then went blank, and both Optimus and Blackarachnia smiled at one another. Another screen appeared, this time with Ultra Magnus.
"Ultra Magnus here, Optimus. We're tracking your Decepticon signal. Probably just a lost scout ship. Ever since we drove them off Cybertron, the Cons have been wandering the periphery. They'd never be foolish to invade Autobot space. Still, I'm sending out a strike force if necessary. Meantime you and your bots just sit tight. And Prime, don't try to be a hero not in your programming."
The screen then went blank.
"He expects us to sit around while we're carrying the most powerful thing in the universe," said Blackarachnia rolling her optics.
"Decepticons still on our tail and closing in fast," Prowl informed.
"So why don't we see them?" Bumblebee asked.
"Teleetraan-1, a course to the nearest space bridge," Optimus ordered as he began to chart a new course in the computer.
"But Ultra Magnus told us to stay put," Bulkhead protested.
"With all due respect, Ultra Magnus isn't carrying the AllSpark," Optimus pointed out.
"And the Decepticons might just risk breaking the treaty to get their servos on it," said Blackarachnia.
"So, we'll make a beeline for the space bridge and blast through whatever's debris s our way," said Optimus as the ship turned around.
"Uhh boss-bot, I don't think we can blast through that," Bulkhead said, pointing at the huge Decepticon War Cruiser.
"I've never seen a Decepticon ship up close," Bulkhead gulped.
"No one hasn't lived," said Ratchet horrified.
Prime searched the database for some info about the ship
"It's a command ship. I'd recognise the markings the history vids." Optimus pulled up a screen to show the others.
"That's the Nemesis, the flagship of the Decepticon armada," said Blackarachnia, stunned.
"Megatron…" Ratchet said under his breath.
"Megatron?! As in the cruel, vicious, Decepticon leader who eats Autobots protoform for breakfast?!"
Standing on the bridge of the Nemesis was Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command, who wished to be a top bot
"Megatron is a fool who's been chasing a ghost for centuries!" said Starscream staring at the puny Autobot cruiser before them. "I seriously doubt we'll find this 'AllSpark' aboard such an insignificant vessel."
"TRAITOR!" Lugnut boomed. Lugnut was a large bot even for a Decepticon and was fiercely loyal to Megatron. "Megatron is wise! Megatron is bold! Megatron will return the Decepticons to Cybertron! And—"
"'And wipe our home clean from the stench of Autobot tyranny'," said Tarantulas, the Decepticons science officer. He was smaller compared to the other Decepticons and looked like a male version of Blackarachnia, only with pincers covering his mouth. "Tell me, Lugnut, out of curiosity, did you memorise that speech, or is it wired in that one track processor of yours?"
Then suddenly, a beam shot past him and covered his entire army in ice.
"As usual, Tarantulas, your demeanour is unpleasant is that accursed organic mode of yours," said Blitzwing. Blitzwing was another one of Megatron's lieutenants, but he was far more unstable than the others, thanks to a split personality.
"Blow it out of your actuator three-face," Tarantulas hissed. Breaking the ice covering his hand easily by flexing his clawlike fingers.
Then his calm blue face changed to a hot-headed red one. "The name is Blitzving insect! Remember it! BECAUSE IT VILL BE THE LAST THING YOU SAY BEFORE I—!" His face then turned again into a black crazy looking one, "express my feelings in song! The itsy, bitsy spider crawled up the water spout!" Tarantulas shouted in anger while Blitzwing continued singing.
"Will you two just quiet down!" Starscream shouted.
"Mocks the word of Megatron!" Lugnut roared.
Soon enough, they were all shouting at each other, minus Blitzwing, who continued his song. The bridge door opened, and Megatron entered the room, and everyone immediately shut up and stood stiffly to attention. Megatron approached the window while everyone remained silent and still.
"Starscream, report," Megatron ordered.
"Energy signal off the scale, my liege. Shall I fire upon the Autobots?"
"Cripple the ship, but don't destroy it… yet."
"Yes, yes, yes! Brilliant strategy, oh wise and great leader!" Starscream kissed up.
The ship charged its fusion cannons.
"Teletraan-1! Evasive manoeuvres!" Optimus commanded as he witnessed the Nemesis charging its weapons. The ship dodged just as a large laser blasted destroyed nearby asteroids. "Activate emergency defence system! Code name: Omega!"
"I'm sorry, this function has been disabled in compliance with Cybertron's ongoing efforts to conserve Energon," Teletraan-1 responded.
"Wh-what?" Optimus gasped. The ship shook as another laser managed to make contact.
"We're all gonna die, aren't we?" Bumblebee predicted.
"Warning: Asteroid field. Preparing alternate course," said Teletraan-1.
"Override!" Optimus ordered.
They continue to make their way towards the space bridge using the asteroids as cover, but the Nemesis cannons just obliterated any asteroid it made contact with.
"I've got a match on the energy reading," Tarantulas announced, "If it's not the AllSpark, it's something just as powerful."
"I volunteer to deploy and breach the Autobot ship!" Starscream insisted, looking at Megatron, sitting on his throne.
"I didn't spend the last stellar cycles searching for the AllSpark just for you to get your greasy wings on the Allspark," said Megatron. He gripped Starscream's wing and pulled him closer towards him. "I will harness its power into the ultimate weapon and crush the Autobots for good."
He released Starscream and left, leaving him behind to tend to his dented wing.
"Well, I'll just get these fixed then," he said, looking at his dented wing.
Once he repaired his wing, he met Megatron in the hangar.
"What do you want now, Starscream?" he said as Starscream approached him, walked over and patted Megatron on the back.
"Only to wish you luck, my liege," said Starscream patting him on the back.
"I do not believe in luck," said Megatron and transformed into a jet before flying straight towards the Autobot ship, unaware of the bomb Starscream had planted on his back.
"Neither do I," said Starscream to himself.
On the Orion, the Autobots could see that they were about to expect a visitor, a very unpleasant visitor.
"Is that Megatron?" Optimus gasped as Megatron transformed.
"You never said he was so big," said Bulkhead.
"You never said he could fly!" Bumblebee exclaimed.
Then Megatron disappeared.
"Guess he wasn't coming for us," Bulkhead shrugged.
"I don't think we're that lucky," said Blackarachnia.
She was proven right when the ship shook suddenly as Megatron was trying to blast his way in.
"Ratchet, seal the hull breach!" Optimus commanded. "Prowl, keep the ship steady! Blackarachnia, try to reach the Elite Guard and inform them of the situation! Bulkhead and Bumblebee guard the AllSpark! I'll hold off, Megatron!"
"But we're repair bots!" Bumblebee reminded him. "We're programmed for this kind of action!"
"Then consider this an upgrade."
Optimus activated the manipulation arms on the ship and tried to hold Megatron, but he was struggling something fierce. Suddenly Starscream's bomb exploded, overloading his circuits and severely damaging the ship.
"Yes!" Starscream cheered, "Right then. Solemn face. Solemn face." He then walked off to inform the others of the "bad" news.
"Warning: hull breach," said Teletraan-1. "Sealing hatches alpha, omega and epsilon!"
The ship immediately began sealing all the hull breaches and began to suppress the flames with fire suppressant.
"I don't know what happened, but there was some kind of explosion outside," said Blackarachnia. "Whatever was it has severely damaged the ship and knocked out the autopilot and our communications!"
Sure enough, they could see that the ship was now heading straight down towards an asteroid.
"Go to manual override then!" Optimus ordered.
"Can you even do that?" Prowl questioned.
The steering controls slid out, and Optimus grabbed the controller and steered them away from the approaching asteroid. Optimus could see a space bridge ahead and speed towards it.
Meanwhile, in the cargo bay, the AllSpark was glowing.
"Hey, what's that thing doing?" Bumblebee asked Bulkhead.
The AllSpark shot a laser of energy that went straight through the ship's hull and struck the space bridge activating it. The Orion flew into the warp gate, which exploded when they passed through, destroying the bridge and nearby terrain.
"This is a dark day in Decepticon history," Starscream faked, watching the explosion and grinning, "May the legacy of our fallen Megatron live on in our memory cores for all eternity. As I appoint myself your new leader, I solemnly pledge to—" He turned to his audience, which had left for the escape pods at the explosion. "Hey! Where's everybody gone?!" He turned back to see the explosion drawing closer.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
The Orion appeared directly over an unknown planet.
"Is everyone okay?" Optimus asked, and everyone nodded.
Blackarachnia then went to check their coordinates. "I don't know what happened, but I don't recognise the system, and neither does the computer. I don't think that way even in Autobot space anymore."
Optimus then immediately reach for the comlink. "Bulkhead; Bumblebee report."
Then before he could receive a reply, Megatron appeared directly behind him. He then promptly grabbed Optimus and thrust him against the wall.
"The AllSpark, where is it?!" Megatron demanded.
Blackarachnia, Prowl and Ratchet tried to help, but they were easily knocked away. He then pinned Prowl beneath his foot, preventing him from moving. Whatever was the cause of the explosion, it had done serious damage to Megatron. The left side of his body had taken massive damage losing an entire arm and exposing a good number of circuits on his left side.
"I grow impatient," he said, glaring at Optimus.
Optimus then fired his grapple at the console behind Megatron and switched off the artificial gravity.
"Artificial gravity, disabled," said Teletraan-1.
With the official gravity now off, everyone was now floating in midair, releasing Prowl from beneath Megatron's foot.
"Good thinking, Prime," Ratchet smiled as titres feet to the ceiling. "Putting us on equal footing, so to speak."
Megatron then plunges the remainder of his arm into the ceiling to hold himself in place.
Bumblebee then came floating onto the bridge. "Hey, who turned off the—" Bulkhead then bumped into him, sending him flying across the room.
"Sorry, my bad," he apologised.
"Guh!" Bumblebee landed right in front of Megatron. "Ya know? You're even uglier from this angle!" he laughed. Megatron snarled and pulled out his sword, which he swung at the young Autobot. "Scarier too!" Bumblebee finished as he dodged.
Blackarachnia then fired some of her webbing and pulled him to safety. "Word of advice, don't tick off the Decepticon wielding a giant sword."
"Good Advice," said Bumblebee.
"Everyone prepare for a concentrated attack on my signal," Optimus ordered as he plunged his axe into the wall to steady himself. Prowl then suddenly shot right past him, heading straight towards Megatron wielding shuriken. "Prowl, no! Wait for my signal!"
He grabbed at Prowl, but his hand went right through him. Megatron saw the attack coming and swung right through Prowl, or rather his hologram. The real Prowl had snuck up behind Megatron and sliced off the remainder of his left arm.
"GAH!" he screamed painfully.
"Okay, the decoy was a nice touch, but once again, a little warning would have helped!" Optimus shouted. Bulkhead then chose at that point to crash into the back of him. "Would it kill you bots to say something like I don't know, 'heads up' or 'watch out' or—"
"Incoming!" Ratchet shouted, and he used his magnets to throw Megatron's severed arm into him.
Megatron was knocked into the controls igniting the engines. The ship took a nose dive straight down towards the planet and entered the atmosphere. This sudden velocity sent everyone flying in different directions in both Optimus and Megatron and crashing in the cargo bay. Megatron quickly recovered and kept Optimus down beneath his foot.
"Now bring me the AllSpark, and I may spare your miserable Autobot lives," said Megatron raising his sword and striking at Optimus but was blocked by his axe.
Then Megatron's eye was caught by a blue glow and saw the Allspark. This gave Optimus enough of a distraction to activate the axe's telescoping handle and hit the button to open the airlock door.
"Warning: docking tunnel deployed!" Teletraan-1 warned.
Both Optimus and Megatron found themselves being sucked out of the airlock and down the docking tunnel. Optimus managed to prevent himself from being sucked out of the atmosphere by plunging his axe across the tunnel. Megatron grabbed onto his leg, but Optimus kicked Megatron with his free leg sending him flying out the door screaming as he was being burnt up in the atmosphere.
In the small town of Paw Paw, there was a home filled with all kinds of inventions, and Isaac Sumdac sat in its attic, coming up with new inventions, when he saw something falling in the sky and crash nearby. Isaac ran outside to find it and reached the crater. He gasped as he saw a giant robot head sitting in the centre of the crater.
"Warning planetary impact imminent," Teletraan-1 warned.
Optimus climbed out of the docking tunnel and approached the other Autobots. Megatron may no longer be a threat, but they were still going to crash into the plans, and they were headed straight for the city.
"Everyone, head for the stasis pods!" Optimus ordered. Everyone left the bridge except for Bumblebee.
"What about you?!"
"Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!" Optimus struggled to steer the ship away from the buildings.
It took a lot of effort, but he was able to avoid crashing in the city, and then he quickly made his way to his stasis pod. This left the ship to splashdown in the middle of a large lake.
"Initiating emergency stasis mode," said Teletraan-1.
The Orion then gently sank to the bottom of the lake, where it would remain untouched and undetected.
50 years later
"Way back in the early 20th century, Detroit was known as the Motor City, the automobile capital of the world. Today Detroit has once again become the world's leading manufacturer, not of automobiles, but automatons! Robots! Or, as we here at Sumdac Systems like to call them, our tireless mechanical partners ever-reliable, never complaining, no task too mundane or unpleasant. Never to worry about fears or phobia and able to survive in environments far beyond the capacity for us mere humans. The robot revolution begins here in a typical Sumdac Systems assembly line where the latest line in my Sumdac bots," said Isaac Sumdac, now in his mid-fifties, introduced. "Any questions?"
"Where did you get the ideas for your robots, Mister Sumdac?" a kid asked.
"It was something that stumbled upon," he said. Then suddenly robotic dog collided with him, and it was closely followed by an eight-year-old redheaded girl with dark skin.
"Sparkplug! You get back here, you mangy little fur-bot!" the girl demanded, chasing the robot down. She eventually caught the dog-bot and tried to pull something out of its mouth: a keycard. "Let go, n-n-n-now! My key is not a chew toy! Let go now!"
The dog let go with a bark and what could be perceived as a smile. The girl fell backwards and landed on top of her dad.
"Sorry, dad," she apologised. Sumdac got up and brushed off the dust.
"Forgive me, children, this is my daughter, Sari," her father introduced, "Sari, what do you say?" The gum-bubble Sari was blowing popped and covered her face.
"Anyone got a pair of scissors?" she asked. She managed to get the gum off then chewed it again. "Never mind."
"Eww..." the crowd said simultaneously. Her father merely sighed.
"So, what's it like to grow up around all these cool robots anyway?" a boy asked.
"I dunno, what's it like to go to school with other kids?" she answered.
"I apologise once again for interruption, but my daughter must return to her studies now," said Sumdac
"No! Not the tudor-bot! Anything but the tudor-bot! Nooo!" she screamed.
"Here we are working on the latest development in nanotechnology," Sumdac motioned to the window next to them, revealing a lab filled with scientists buzzing around. "Self replicating, submicroscopic, bio diagnostic robots. Designed to fight disease, monitor and repair the human body from within. Not quite the cure for cancer, but these microbots are just the first step in the fusion between the organic and the technological. And quite possibly the gateway to immortality!"
As Sumdac spoke, something was going horribly wrong down in the lab. A roach being used to test the nano-bots began to grow quickly.
"I can't stop the revocation," said a scientist frantically. "The nano-bots are growing out of control."
Within seconds, the roach had grown to the size of a full-grown human and broken out of its container. It knocked over another container of nano-bots and absorbed them.
"They're merging with more nano-bots!"
"They're merging with everything!"
Then suddenly went berserk, tearing through the lab and absorbing most of the technology in the lab.
"Nothing to be concerned about children!" Professor Sumdac yelled, trying to keep everyone calm. "These happy accidents are often what leads to discovery."
"Uh, Mister Sumdac, this accident doesn't look too happy."
The roach monster then leapt up and crawled the wall, heading straight for Sumdac's tour group and smashed right through the window. Everyone then began running away, panicking.