The Autobots were getting used to life in Detroit; Bulkhead was currently stuck in a traffic jam on the highway.
"Come on, move it! I might as well be walking!" an old man shouted from his car.
"Hey, good idea," said Bulkhead behind him and transformed into robot mode.
He then began walking his way through the traffic jam.
Prowl was currently in Central Park and earned quite a bit of attention from the people.
"Look! It's one of those Autobot!" a bystander pointed at Prowl.
Prowl had been standing next to a statue remaining perfectly still, allowing pigeons to rest on him. However, the yells from the bystander caused the pigeons to fly off, and it was then that he noticed that one of them had dropped some turd on his head. He then looked at the substance in his hand rather curiously.
Bumblebee was at Burger Bot with Sari showing what kind of fuel humans eat.
"Welcome to Burger Bot. May I take your order?"
"This is how we humans fuel up," said Sari and poked her head out of his window. "I'll have a Big Bot Burger, large fries and a Robo Shake."
"That'll be $10.95, please. Would you like a pie with that?"
"Hmm, no thanks."
Within seconds the bot then gave her the order.
"One Big Bot Burger, large fries and a Robo Shake. Have a good day."
"Are you sure this is edible?" Bumblebee asked while poking his Burger Bot burger.
Ratchet was currently having a stasis nap in the street in his vehicle form. Unfortunately, he was illegally parked and had earned him quite a number of tickets.
A policeman alive on his motorcycle land was writing him another ticket. He had just placed it on his windscreen when Ratchet woke up and transformed into robot mode.
"Hey, can't a bot get a stasis nap around here?" he grumbled, tearing the tickets off his chest and then promptly walking off.
Blackarachnia was wondering through what the humans called a shopping mall. From there, she observed a number of people going to shops, mostly women. She observed that the women were buying clothes, shoes and fragrances.
Optimus was in the park with Sari on his shoulder, explaining to her the duty of every Autobot.
"We Autobots are programmed to respect the source of life and protected all costs," he explained. "For us, that means one thing, the Allspark. Yet you organics are life, which means we must protect you as well." He then looked down seriously at a baby in a stroller. "But how is it that you're able to make these new smaller organics?"
Sari then whispered something in his audio sensor, and when she was finished, his eyes widened in shock.
Later that night, Sari had taken them to an abandoned plant to use it as their base of operation.
"You guys need a home base, and a ship at the bottom of Lake Erie is way too far off. Then, I remembered this place. My dad got it in a merger. He doesn't even know that he owns it."
The Autobots activated their lights and looked around the abandoned plans filled with rusty cars, leaky pipes and junk.
"So, what do you think?" Sari asked.
"I think this is what you organics call a real fixer-upper," Bumblebee commented.
Bulkhead just stretched and sat down on the ground. "Anywhere where I can power down for a few megacycles is okay by me."
Sadly he didn't have time to relax as they could hear sirens in the distance.
"Sounds like someone needs help," Optimus said. "Autobots—"
"I know, transform and roll out," Bulkhead sighed as he sat up.
They promptly transformed into vehicle mode and drove off towards the sirens.
The sirens had been for a fire in a downtown building. An apartment building, unfortunately. When they arrived, they immediately got to work. Optimus used the foam cannon in his gauntlets to put out some of the fire. Ratchet used his magnets to save the people on a falling balcony from falling to their doom. Blackarachnia scaled the walls to help lower people down from the balconies with her webbing. Bulkhead used his strength to knock away falling debris as Prowl used his jump jet to blow away the flames, and Bumblebee helped evacuate the civilians.
While they were doing this, they were videoed by camera drones hovering around the area.
"We're live on the scene downtown, where the Autobots once again are earning their title as Detroit's newest superheroes," said the reporter.
Once everyone was safe, everyone cheered for the Autobots, who had saved their lives.
Meanwhile, the Autobots were unaware that somewhere amongst the ruins of a Decepticon warship, Starscream was watching them.
"Enjoy it while you can, heroes," said Starscream. "You're about to take a fall!"
The next day, the Autobots had been invited as guests of honour by Professor Sumdac to the unveiling of his newest electrical train.
"We at Sumdac Systems continue our commitment to moving to try forward with this Fully Automated Rapid Transit Systems capable of speeds over 300 mph," said Professor Sumdac.
"If humans want to move so fast, why aren't they building regs like us?" Bumblebee whispered to Bulkhead.
"I want to thank the mayor, Captain Fanzone, and especially our city's cybernetic superheroes for attending this magnificent grand opening ceremony!" Professor Sumdac continued, and the audience's cheers shook the town hall walls in front of them.
"They keep calling us heroes, but I don't feel any more of a hero than I did repairing space bridges on Cybertron," Optimus told Ratchet.
"In my experience, heroes usually end up on the repair table or the scrap heap. And I'm not quite ready to join the Well of Allsparks just yet," Ratchet replied grimly.
"Personally, I think we're getting too much attention," said Blackarachnia. "Our primary mission is to protect the Allspark, but instead with practically telling the Decepticons where we are."
"We have to help people, Blackarachnia," Optimus pointed out.
"Or maybe you just want to play the hero."
At the same time, the Air Force had detected an unidentified aircraft and sent five jets to investigate.
"Unidentified aircraft entering US airspace, over Michigan! Identify yourself or be treated as hostile!"
A purple laser blast ripped through the clouds destroying one of the jets. Then shooting out of the clouds behind them was Starscream.
"You haven't seen 'hostile' yet!" he yelled and fired at two more jets destroying them, but thankfully the pilots injected just in time. He then promptly destroyed the fourth one, only leaving one jet remaining.
"Mayday! Mayday!" said the pilot.
He then managed to manoeuvre so that he was directly behind Starscream and fired at him, but his shot just merely bounced off his body.
"This is getting annoying," he said. Starscream then flew behind the jet and began to scan it. "Best continue my search incognito."
The remaining two jets attempted to fire, but Starscream manoeuvred easily out of the way and hid right under one of the jets.
"Now, if you kindly redirect your attention overhead, please enjoy the aerial acrobatics of the Crimson Angels!" Professor Sumdac announced as six red jets flew through the air, performed aerial acrobatics, and shot a fantastic display of fireworks.
"For once, something that flies that's not a Decepticon," Bumblebee breathed.
Professor Sumdac then noticed something odd. "Odd, I thought I only paper six jets."
The seven jets then suddenly broke off from the others and flew directly towards them.
"Is that guy nuts? He's headed straight for us?" Bulkhead stared.
"It couldn't be," Ratchet gasped.
The jet then suddenly transformed, and hovering directly in front of them was Starscream. He then fired his null ray blast at the stage. The Autobots were blasted backwards by the shockwave. Then, the attacker landed.
"Greetings, Autobots! Mind if I crash the party?" Starscream sneered.
"A Deception? Here?" Optimus gasped.
"The name is Starscream! Exalted leader of the Decepticons!" Starscream announced.
"But I thought that was Megatron," Bulkhead commented.
"Silence, Autobot filth!" Starscream fired a null blast at Bulkhead, sending him and the nearby Bumblebee flying into the wall.
The sudden impact caused rubble to fold down towards them, and both Optimus and Ratchet quickly picked them up and got clear the following rubble. However, they were then immediately blasted by Starscream.
Blackarachnia and Prowl moved and apprehended him, but then he suddenly took off and began shooting at them.
"You can run Autobot! But you can't hide!" he yelled as Blackarachnia and Prowl easily dodged the attacks.
Prowl activated his battle mask and somersaulted onto a building, and Starscream launched himself at Prowl but passed right through the hologram. The real Prowl was hanging to the ledge of the building with Blackarachnia, and once Starscream flew open, they quickly jumped onto his back.
Blackarachnia quickly plunged her stingers into Starscream's back and began injecting him with cyber venom. Starscream roared in pain, trying to shake them off, crashing into a number of buildings in doing so. Blackarachnia was dislodged when they crashed into a building, and then he grabbed Prowl and threw him off his back down towards the road. Fortunately, before he hit the concrete, Blackarachnia flew in thanks to the jets she downloaded from Starscream.
"I expected a little more of a challenge from such great heroes," said Starscream smugly.
Suddenly he felt something wrap around his ankles. Optimus had managed to grab Starscream with his grappler and was pulling him in.
Starscream flew skyward and pulled Optimus off the ground. Starscream tried his best to shake by slamming him into buildings, but he refused to release him. Starscream then started dragging him across the road before flying upwards.
"I was sure you would've let go by now! Oh well, no matter."
Starscream fired at the cable, sending Optimus plummeting. Then a shot of webbing wrapped around him, slowing his descent; he looked up and saw Blackarachnia sticking to the wall of the building in her beast mode.
"How come I always seem to be the one to catch falling Autobots?" she mused as she gently lowered him.
Ratchet then drove up towards Optimus and quickly transformed into robot mode. "You okay, Prime?"
"I'll live," he groaned.
"You call yourselves heroes?!" Starscream lowered himself to the ground. "You think you defeated the great Megatron. You did no such thing. I defeated Megatron! I planted the device that overloaded his circuitry! His fate was sealed before he even reached your ship!"
"He's lying!" said Bulkhead.
"On the contrary, that would explain the explosion on our ship," said Blackarachnia. "Too bad it didn't do a good enough job because he still had enough strength to board our ship."
"Silence!" Starscream roared, aiming his null ray at them. "Bring me the Allspark Autobot scum."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Optimus denied.
"Really?" said Starscream, not sounding convinced. He smirked, flew up, and pointed his blaster at the Sumdacs, Fanzone and the mayor. "Then I'll just have to destroy these puny creatures for no good reason."
Starscream then fired at them, causing them to scatter.
"Quick in there!" Fanzone pointed at the train. They all ran to the train as Starscream blasted away.
Unfortunately, Sari's legs were lots shorter, so she trailed behind them, and Starscream pointed down directly at her.
"Sari!" Bumblebee screamed.
Starscream fired at her, but Bumblebeeleapt into the way, taking the blow in his back.
"Bumblebee!" Sari cried.
She ran to him, but then Starscream grabbed his unconscious body by his arm and showed the body to the other Autobots.
"Now, let's try this again. Bring me the AllSpark Autobot scum!" Starscream demanded.
"My name is Optimus Prime!" Optimus shouted proudly. "And I'm prepared to sacrifice my life to defend the AllSpark!"
"But are you willing to sacrifice theirs?" Starscream barked. He tossed Bumblebee into the train with the others. "You Autobots and your pathetic heroics. You have one megacycle to bring me the AllSpark. If not, this vessel and all its contents, human and Autobot, will perish!" Starscream grabbed the train rested on his shoulders, and began to take off to the top of Sumdac Tower. "Then I'll tear this planet apart until I find the AllSpark myself!"
He then dropped the train on top of Sumdac Tower.
"Give up the AllSpark, or give up the Earth," Optimus told himself, "How am I supposed to decide?!"
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices," Ratchet consoled.
"Maybe Ultra Magnus was right. Maybe not program to be a hero," said Optimus and looked Blackarachnia. "You were right; I was just playing at being a hero."
"As much as I like being right, we have bigger issues now," said Blackarachnia. "And whatever you decide, we'll back you up."
"And look how well my decisions have gone, just a maintenance bot, not an Elite Guard soldier."
"You know," Prowl interrupted, "a wise bot told me that a machine was greater than its component parts. I had to learn that the hard way."
"So Optimus, do you still think that you're part of that machine because we need that machine running on full cylinders," said Blackarachnia.
Optimus nodded, and they all placed their hands over one another, even Sari, who had just joined them.
"Okay, so here's my plan," She said.
"What?" Sari asked as he chased after the Autobots.
"Thanks, but I think we'll handle this one, Sari," said Optimus.
"But you haven't even heard my plan. You guys keep Starscream distracted while me, Prowl and Blackarachnia sneak aboard the train car. Then I use my key to arrive Bumblebee, free the hostages and catch Starscream totally by—"
"Sari!" said Optimus strongly. "It's too dangerous.
"My Dad is on that train! And so is the best friend I've ever had! And I'm not gonna lose both of them!" Sari cried.
"She sprung a leak," Bulkhead noted, noticing her tears.
"It's called crying; it's something we humans do when we feel sad or scared," Sari explained, wiping her tears. "Or totally helpless to save the people we care about most.
"Alright! I'll consider your plan," Optimus interrupted.
"It's also really useful for us to get what we want," Sari added smugly.
"I said I would consider your plan," Optimus reminded her. "But unless one of us has recently learned how to fly, we're going to need to bring Starscream to us."
"My download won't last very long, and I don't fancy tangling with a Deception by myself," said Blackarachnia.
"Agreed, and there's only one thing that can lure him," said Optimus.
Starscream was flying around Sumdac Tower in his vehicle mode, waiting for the Autobots to arrive with the AllSpark.
"Starscream!" a voice yelled. Starscream transformed and looked down. The Autobots had finally arrived.
"We have what you want!" Optimus announced from on top of a building. On a nearby high-rise highway, Ratchet and Bulkhead were holding the AllSpark. "Now released the hostages!"
"Leave the AllSpark unguarded! Or I'll destroy all of them!" Starscream threatened, pointing his laser at the train.
"Bring the hostages down! Or I'll destroy the AllSpark!" Optimus returned.
"Don't try to deceive a Decepticon Autobot," Starscream advised, "We are the masters of deception!" Starscream floated down to retrieve his prize.
Starscream has the zeppelin that flew by, and unbeknownst to him, Blackarachnia, Prowl and Sari were hiding behind it.
"Hold on tight," said Prowl and grabbed Sari.
He then activated his jump jet and flew up towards the top of the tower while Blackarachnia transformed into beast mode and began to climb.
"You think I'm bluffing?!" Optimus pulled out his axe and prepared to throw it with all his force at the AllSpark, "Bulkhead! Ratchet! Stand back!"
"Wait!" Starscream interrupted Optimus's throw halfway, "Let's not be so hasty, shall we?" Starscream floated up to Optimus's eye level.
At the same time, the hostages were watching the transaction.
"What's going on out there?" Fanzone tried to get a look at what was happening below when a red-haired girl blocked his view.
"A rescue, that's what," She told him.
"Sari?" Professor Sumdac stared. "How did you get up here?"
"The same way you're going down," Prowl answered.
"Just try to remain calm," Blackarachnia advised.
Prowl grabbed hold of the mayor, and Professor Sumdac and Blackarachnia held on to Fanzone under one arm. The two of them then jumped down with Prowl using his jump jet and Blackarachnia her webbing.
"This is why I hate machines!" Fanzone shouted on the way down.
"Technically, I'm only half machine," Blackarachnia pointed out.
Meanwhile, Sari had stayed behind and climbed onto Bumblebee. She then inserted her key in the slot inside his forehead.
"Come on, Bumblebee, wake up," Sari pleaded.
Bumblebee then started to move like someone trying to start up an engine. He then shot up so quickly that his head hit the ceiling, earning him a headache.
"When you wake up, you really wake up," Sari commented.
Blackarachnia and Prowl then land on the zeppelin, and Starscream turned around when he heard their screams.
"What's this?" he gasped, "Someone messing with my hostages?!"
He flew after them but was stopped. He was being held in a pink electromagnetic courtesy of Ratchet.
"Not so fast, flyboy!" Ratchet yelled.
He tried to break free of the field, but it was too strong, so he began is flying around in circles and finally broke free. However, in so doing so, he lost control and was flying straight towards Optimus, who then promptly blasted him with his foam cannon, taking out his jets. He plummeted and was hit by Bulkhead's wrecking ball.
Sadly before he could hit him again, Starscream recovered and transformed into vehicle mode and darted back to Sumdac Tower. Bumblebee had awoken and was trying to shoot bolts of lightning at him, and Blackarachnia fired her webbing, but Starscream easily dodged them. Prowl fired his jump jet so that he was directly over him and tossed his shuriken, which struck hard enough to get knocked off course.
"So, you Autobots want to fight dirty, do you?" he said, quickly recovering. He then gained speed and began making his way towards the top of the tower despite Bumblebee filing sparks of electricity at him.
He fired at the tram and knocked it over the edge of the tower, sending the train plummeting.
Blackarachnia, Prowl and Bumblebee then quickly grabbed hold of the train before it went over the edge.
Starscream laughed as he transformed into robot mode as the three Autobots struggled to keep the train study.
"Guys," said Sari, who was still inside the train.
Starscream then pointed his null ray directly at them and fired. This created enough force for the train to go over the edge and plummet towards the ground with Sari inside. Starscream laughed as the train, and the Autobots fell.
"Sari!" the Autobots screamed.
"There, the train is released; I've kept my end of the bargain," Starscream smiled, turning to face Optimus. "Now it's your turn to keep yours!"
Starscream flew at Ratchet and Bulkhead, but Optimus was closer and reached them sooner.
"Bulkhead! Ratchet! Help the others!" Optimus ordered.
They immediately transformed into vehicle mode and drove towards Sumdac Tower.
"Are we supposed to do? Catch it on the first bounce?" Bulkhead asked.
Bumblebee and Prowl, meanwhile, were trying to crawl along the train until they reached the very edge. Then Bumblebee blasted at the metal with his stingers in concentrated bursts while Prowl tried to make an opening with his shuriken.
"Hang on, Sari!" Bumblebee assured.
Sari was panicking and trying to cling onto the support beam for dear life. "You think I didn't think of that!"
Bumblebee then managed to rip off the metal and reach out to Sari.
"Reach out! I'll grab you!" he yelled.
Sari wildly shook her head in fear.
"You can trust this face, can't you?" Bumblebee quoted with the same innocent smile she'd given him. She glanced away, then reached out and took his hand.
Optimus managed to reach the Allspark before Starscream and leapt out of the way just as Starscream crashed down.
"That was a nice grab, Autobot. But even you can't outrun me on foot!" Starscream growled and transformed into vehicle mode. He then began blasting Optimus, and they quickly jumped off the highway. "Why don't you set down that heavy load and transform into vehicle mode?"
Starscream then began to pursue him down the street.
Prowl had reached the end of the train and was using his jump jet to slow the descent, and Blackarachnia fired some webbing at Sumdac Town in the hopes to stop their descent. Bumblebee then shot out of the training vehicle mode, and the two of them began plummeting towards the ground.
"Do they have shock absorbers on Cybertron?" Sari asked as the ground became dangerously close.
Prowl was forced to let go of the train causing it to crash into the ground. Then before Bumblebee hit the ground, something stops their descent almost immediately.
"Those are some shock absorbers," said Sari sticking her head out the window.
It was then that she discovered that Ratchet had caught them with his magnets and was now gently low into the ground,
"Guess there's still some spark left in the old bot after all!" Ratchet cheered. He slowly set down Bumblebee, who in turn set down Sari.
Prowl then landed on the ground, and Blackarachnia jumped down to join.
"Ratchet! Think fast!" Ratchet turned to see Optimus had thrown the AllSpark at his face.
"Aw crud," Ratchet groaned just before catching the AllSpark with his magnets.
Starscream then zoomed past Optimus and quickly transformed a robot mode to snatch the AllSpark, but Ratchet threw it away. It bounced off the train's wreckage, and Bumblebee caught it in his left arm.
"Hang on!" he yelled as he vented engines.
Sari put on her seatbelt, and they immediately drove away with Starscream hot on their trail.
"I know this game!" Sari announced, "It's called 'Keep Away'!" She looked in the mirror and could see Starscream getting closer. "Think you can go any faster?"
"It's not about how fast you go, but about how fast you can stop!" Bumblebee stated and skidded to a halt.
Using the forward momentum, Bumblebee threw the AllSpark with all his might sending it flying down the street with Starscream chasing after it hungrily. Blackarachnia then swung by, grabbed it with her webbing, and continued to swing from building to building. Then she immediately tossed it around the corner where Prowl caught it and tossed it onto a truck's bed. He gave it a well-placed kick and sent it rolling down the road's slope. The truck crashed into a fire hydrant sending the AllSpark into the air.
"I got it! I got it!" Bulkhead yelled reached out to grab at it, but his clumsy hands were unable to catch it. Starscream took advantage of this weakness and snatched the AllSpark.
"Fool!" he laughed, "Did you really think you could keep the AllSpark out of the hands of —YAH!" Bulkhead interrupted his speech with a wrecking ball to the gut. This time Bulkhead caught the AllSpark.
"I said, 'I got it'," said Bulkhead pulled back his wrecking ball. Optimus and the other Autobots soon arrived.
"Nice teamwork, Autobot!" Optimus commended as they all approached Bulkhead. "Now, let's get this back to the ship before—" Optimus was interrupted by a powerful null ray blast that blew away the road, ripped apart buildings, and shattered glass.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF TOYING WITH YOU PUNY AUTOBOTS!" Starscream exploded.
Everyone apart from Optimus was knocked to the ground. Optimus tried his best to withstand the attack, but eventually, he was overcome and forced to release the Allspark. Starscream swooped down, snatched the Allspark, and quickly flew above the city, safe from interruptions.
"At last!" he cheered. "The AllSpark IS MINE!" He opened the casing and then promptly fired a massive energy beam down upon the city. The huge blast obliterated the three buildings while its force tore the entire block to shreds.
"IT'S MORE POWERFUL THAN I EVER IMAGINED!" Starscream cackled.
The Autobots helplessly watched in horror as the greatest artefact in the universe was used as a weapon of mass destruction.
"It's our worst nightmare come to life," Ratchet spoke, "The AllSpark. In Decepticon hands..."
"Not without a fight," Optimus declared.
Optimus dug the spikes on his feet into the walls of Sumdac Tower while using his axe to help him remain stable as he climbed up. Starscream giddily and madly blasted away at the city and didn't notice the Autobot coming ever closer.
"Now nothing will stop me from leading the Decepticons and crushing the Autobots forever!" he laughed maniacally.
He's laughing, however, was interrupted by an axe thrown at his wing and was now dug in. He looked behind himself to see Optimus Prime leaping at him. He grappled Starscream by the waist and delivered several punches and kicks as Starscream tried to fight him off. The two of them then crashed into two separate buildings, and the Allspark landed in front of Optimus.
Optimus quickly snatched it and looked up to see that Starscream had recovered. He then decided to take a leaf out of Blackarachnia's book, fired his grapple at a nearby building, and used it to swing down. Starscream then promptly chased after him and tackled him from behind. They slammed into the building and went straight through the other side, but Starscream managed to snatch the Allspark back within the scuffle.
However, Optimus jumped with all his might, grabbed hold of Starscream's leg and began to climb along his back. He then retrieved his axe from Starscream's wing, and when Starscream tried to look at him, Optimus blasted his face with foam. Starscream and Optimus spun out of control and crashed into the zeppelin. On its roof, they fought for the Allspark.
"Let go, Autobot!" Starscream demanded.
"Never! The AllSpark is life!" Optimus proclaimed bravely.
"Then let it end yours!" Starscream yelled pointed his blaster at Optimus.
Certainly, the Allspark casing opened, and the Allspark itself began to glow. The two of them then found themselves floating in the air, and then there was a huge burst of energy that consumed them both.
On the ground, the Autobots had no idea what happened, but there was definitely a massive pulse emanating from the Allspark. When the light was gone, Starscream was nowhere to be seen.
Sadly Optimus found himself clinging onto the zeppelin with his axe to dear life with one hand while holding the Allspark in the other. The explosion that emanated from the Allspark heavily damaged him, and he began losing his grip.
Then suddenly, he found himself plummeting towards the ground as his axe lost its grip on the zeppelin. He then hit the ground hard, creating a small crater in the road.
The other Autobots arrived, and both Blackarachnia and Sari rushed over to his side.
"Optimus?" Sari gasped.
"So this," Optimus groaned. "is what it feels like… to be a hero…"
Blackarachnia knelt down towards him. "Don't talk like that; we'll get you patched up in no time."
Optimus slowly turned his head towards. "Elita?"
The other Autobots had no idea who he was talking about, but Blackarachnia just smiled.
"I'm here, and you better not think about leaving me again," she said, grasping his hand.
"I always loved you," he said, and then he fell silent.
They all watched as his optics went dark and his body lost its colour.
Ratchet placed a scanner over Optimus, but there was no pulse. "There's nothing we can do now. His spark is extinguished."
Prowl knelt down next to the Allspark. "He went saving the AllSpark. That's what matters."
Blackarachnia closed her optics. "We should move the body and give him a proper sendoff."
"No! He can't be gone," Sari cried. "He can't!"
"I don't think that leaking thing is going to help you get what you want," said Sari solemnly.
"But I know something that can," said Sari climbing onto Optimus' chest.
She then pressed her key against his chest, which immediately opened up. Then her key began to morph to fit the slot in his spark chamber.
"Sari," said Bumblebee gently. "There are some things that can't be fixed. Even by your key."
Sari then plunged her key into the slot.
"Prime didn't give up!" she proclaimed and then turned the key. "And neither will I!"
The key began to glow, and then as if reacting to her will, the AllSpark channelled a burst of energy that entered into Optimus' spark chamber. Everyone stared in amazement, and when Sari removed her key, they could see Optimus' spark had been revived. His chest immediately closed upon itself, and then his body returned to its normal colour.
Optimus opened his optics. "Is this the Well of All Sparks?" he asked, confused.
"No, it's Detroit," Sari sniffed and began to cry on his face.
"Hey, I thought you needed that leaking thing when you're sad?" said Bulkhead, confused.
"You guys have so much to learn about humans," she laughed.
After the battle, the Autobots quickly went to work repairing the damage to the city and helping those who were still trapped inside the destroyed buildings.
"As Detroit recovers from this devastating clash of the titans," the anchorman announced. "The Autobots prove themselves to be even greater heroes than first imagined. Not only saving the city and possibly perhaps the world from the Decepticon menace but repairing damaged structures and damaged lives with a reassuring presence."
"Fixing bridges," said Bumblebee as he welded two girders together. "Isn't this where we started out?"
Blackarachnia helped Optimus move some rubble. "So you will love me?"
Optimus looked at her awkwardly. "I-I…"
"You don't need to say anything; I'm not quite sure what to say either," she said, smiling. "I'm still going to need some time to think things over, but don't you ever do something like that to me again."
"I'll try," Optimus promised.
"Anyway, we have other problems," said Blackarachnia looking at him seriously. "The Allspark unleashed some kind of pulse that acted like a flare. I imagine everyone in the galaxy now knows that the Allspark is here on Earth Autobot and Decepticon alike."
"We have to try and hold on until the Elite Guard gets here; it's all we can do."
"Speaking for a grateful city, this reporter can only offer two words to our giant cybernetic protectors: 'Thank you.'"
Professor Sumdac clicked off the television; he couldn't bear watching anymore. The guilt had become too great.
"I wouldn't know where to begin thanking them," he sighed. He got out of his chair and moved to the door.
"But if they learned the truth behind my robotic empire, would they ever forgive me?" he wondered. He switched off the lab and left. One by one, all the lights in the room switched off until only one remained.
Sitting in the very centre of his lab was Megatron's head, and unknown to Professor Sumdac, one of his optics was still glowing.