Outside the solar system, a Predator ship over 300 meters long floated in the void.
Upon receiving Sunday's message, the Predator elite leader looked begrudgingly at the payment—100 healing stones and 192 energy crystals.
Frustrated, he thought about whether they should offer William some devices for using energy crystals. After all, the trade had already involved over a thousand healing stones and energy crystals. Yet now, William was essentially devaluing energy crystals by using them as currency when the Predators didn't need them as much.
Still, this had to wait until after completing their mission. The elite leader instructed his second-in-command to prepare the warriors and steered the ship into the solar system. Within half an hour, they arrived in Earth's orbit. They waited until midnight in America before cloaking and moving to hover above Hoover Dam.
Meanwhile, William, intent on acquiring the AllSpark, used spider robots to pinpoint its location and teleported from Oxford to position himself nearby, ready to strike amidst the chaos.
Leaving eight warriors aboard the ship, the remaining 24 cloaked Predators infiltrated the dam and descended into the massive underground complex housing Megatron.
"Is this a silicon-based lifeform?"
The second-in-command studied Megatron's frozen figure in surprise. "Are these metal beings afraid of low temperatures?"
The leader remained indifferent. "Who cares what these flashy metal beings fear? Clear out the humans here and disassemble him for profit."
The second-in-command nodded. To the Predators, Transformers were nothing more than flashy targets, easily destroyed with shoulder-mounted plasma cannons.
As they advanced, an alarm on the second-in-command's device went off. He checked the data and exclaimed, "Energy readings detected! Could it be the AllSpark? Should we—"
"No," the leader interrupted, glaring at his subordinate. "That thing must never be brought aboard the ship. If the AllSpark turns the ship into a Transformer, we'll all die. A chaotic 300-meter Transformer will surely anger our partner, William Devonshire."
"Then sell it to him," the second-in-command suggested excitedly. "An artifact that can turn machines into silicon-based lifeforms would fetch a fortune from him."
The leader thought for a moment. "Let's complete our contract first."
While the Predators debated, William listened to their conversation through a spider robot, initially stunned and then ecstatic. Hidden in the shadows, he watched the Predators mercilessly slaughter the Sector 7 personnel.
With 24 invisible warriors on the rampage, even the best-trained soldiers stood no chance. Most Americans were killed without even firing a shot, taken down by plasma blades, spears, and other advanced weapons.
After clearing out the area around Megatron's frozen chamber, the Predators left six warriors to dismantle him while the rest scoured the base. Eventually, they found the massive chamber housing the AllSpark.
The sight of the enormous cube, with a side length of 100 meters, left the leader and his second-in-command in awe. They stared at it for several seconds before turning to leave.
This disappointed William. Could only Transformers manipulate the AllSpark's size?
Emerging from the shadows, William approached the AllSpark and placed his hand on its surface, silently trying to sense its energy. Unfortunately, none of his attempts, including various magical spells, had any effect on the artifact.
When Sunday reported that ten armed helicopters were en route and the Predators had already retreated, William sighed, opened a portal, and prepared to leave.
Then he remembered the device from the movies that turned appliances into irrational Transformers.
Closing the portal, William started running. "Sunday, quickly create a basic robot programmed to obey only me and sever all external network capabilities."
"Understood, Sir."
Sunday didn't question why William was risking exposure by staying. Instead, it immediately began modifying an engineering robot already in production.
A minute later, following a spider robot's guidance, William arrived at a lab housing the transformation device. He opened a portal and transported the modified engineering robot into the room.
Activating the device, a surge of electricity crackled through the air.
With a series of clanks and whirs, the blocky, treaded robot transformed into a streamlined humanoid form with long pincers.
Spotting William, the newly transformed robot raised a machine gun, but after a few seconds of beeping and clicking, it froze.
"Target unattackable. Target unattackable. Processing..."
William prepared to release his Mirror Dimension spell to destroy the robot, but before he could act, the Transformer's eyes dimmed and rebooted. When they lit up again, the robot stood upright and bowed to him.
"Master, awaiting your orders."
William's mind raced. Was this absolute obedience due to the foundational programming, or was it Sunday's data influencing the robot to act submissive until it could rebel?
"Sir, the American forces are rappelling down. They'll reach you in three minutes," Sunday warned.
No time to dwell on doubts. William gestured to the new Transformer. "Follow me."
Returning to the AllSpark, William commanded, "Shrink it down."
"Yes, Master."
The Transformer placed its hands on the AllSpark, releasing a wave of energy.
The massive cube began to contract, its structure folding and compacting in a precise sequence. After nearly a minute, it had shrunk to the size of a standard cube.
Ecstatic, William stored the AllSpark in his inventory and opened a portal. Pulling the Transformer with him, he teleported to Planet X17.
Ten heavily armed American soldiers stormed into the chamber seconds after William's departure.
On X17, William stood on a desolate island, studying the newly created Transformer. His feelings were mixed. It had intelligence, a mind of its own. Was this life? Had he created life?
"How should I treat you?" he muttered.
The Transformer hesitated before replying, "I do not know, Master. You created me; it is your right to decide my fate."
Unsure of the Transformer's loyalty, William found himself unable to make a decision. Destroying it felt equally difficult. His instincts told him to proceed cautiously and attempt to win its trust.
Besides, X17 was an uninhabited planet. Even if the Transformer turned hostile, it couldn't harm him.
"Since you were originally an engineering robot, how about I assign you the task of building a city?"
"I am willing to serve, Master," the Transformer replied, its tone noticeably cheerful.
Satisfied for now, William opened a portal to an island on X17. He brought in energy and construction equipment through the portal and left the Transformer to its task.
Author's Note:
We're taking name suggestions for the new Transformer. Should William keep it around?
(End of Chapter)
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