Chapter Summaries

Harold and the Space-to-Surface Surveillance Safety Information Department detected a conscious black shadow surveying countries at Mach 1,000, then learned that Defense Minister Singh already knew Earth was facing a coming cold era. Singh ordered Harold to dissolve the department and report to Hoover Dam to assist Dr. He-El.

• A red alert sounded when a black shadow appeared over Switzerland and began patrolling countries at speeds first estimated at Mach 300 and then confirmed at Mach 1,000.
• Harold and the engineers traced the shadow's route across Europe and Canada and concluded that it was deliberately surveying human territory.
• Harold rushed to Defense Minister Singh and warned him that the shadow was passing over the United States and that Earth might face a war of civilizations.
• Singh told Harold that His will and the Laser Precision-Engraved Nanomaterial Technology offered a chance of survival, and that people should excavate underground cities instead of preparing for war.
• Singh ordered Harold to dissolve the Space-to-Surface Surveillance Safety Information Department and go to Hoover Dam to assist Dr. He-El.

He-El arrived at Area Seven beneath Hoover Dam and saw Megatron, the frozen alien machine whose reverse-engineered technology had fueled modern civilization. After marveling at the Transformers’ silicon-metal life, He-El asked Tom Banachek to take him to the cube.

• Harold greeted He-El and agreed to guide him through Area Seven under the president’s and secretary of defense’s orders.
• Harold led He-El and Tom Banachek deep beneath Hoover Dam to the frozen NBE-1, identified as Megatron.
• Tom Banachek explained that NBE-1 had crashed near the North Pole thousands of years earlier and was brought to the facility in 1934.
• Tom Banachek told He-El that reverse-engineering NBE-1 had contributed to microchips, lasers, spaceflight, automobiles, and engines.
• He-El admired Megatron as an extraordinary silicon-metal lifeform and looked forward to returning to DC to continue work on his universe mothership.
• He-El asked Tom Banachek to lead him to the cube.

He-El examined the AllSpark and discovered that someone had altered its code, making it unstable and causing it to create aggressive Decepticons. He observed the AllSpark transform a Nokia 6300 into a violent robot, then learned how Transformers’ sparks and fatal weak points worked.

• Tom Banachek showed He-El the AllSpark and explained its history and how the dam concealed it.
• He-El used his vision to study the AllSpark, found its source code had been altered, and concluded it would turn machines into Decepticons.
• He-El ordered Tom Banachek to show him how the AllSpark’s energy was used, and Tom led him and Harold to a laboratory.
• Tom Banachek placed a Nokia 6300 in a sealed chamber and directed AllSpark energy at it, transforming it into an aggressive robot that attacked the glass.
• Tom Banachek electrocuted the Nokia 6300 Transformer until it died, and He-El identified the core Spark and the head as Transformers’ fatal weak points.

Harold investigated Dr. He-El while strange global proton-engraving projects and sightings of transforming robots heightened his suspicions. After Frenzy found the AllSpark beneath Hoover Dam and alerted the Decepticons, their forces mobilized toward it as He-El waited for the Cube to change.

• Harold learned that his cyber-reconnaissance contact had found no records of Dr. He-El and heard that countries and corporations worldwide were engraving protons and launching them into space.
• Harold saw an outline resembling a dark Superman in images of a shadowy figure, then heard reports of transforming meteors and captured robots.
• Harold found Dr. He-El watching the AllSpark, and He-El said he was waiting for it to change.
• Frenzy infiltrated Hoover Dam, found the AllSpark, and received a surge of energy from it before notifying the Decepticons.
• Starscream rallied the Decepticons, and Barricade, Brawl, Bonecrusher, and Blackout set out for the AllSpark while declaring their loyalty to Megatron.

Frenzy sabotaged Area Seven’s freezing system during a Decepticon bombardment, putting NBE-1 at risk of thawing. While Tom Banachek arranged for the yellow robot to help control the AllSpark, Dr. He-El stayed behind to observe, and the robot reached out toward the cube.

• Frenzy broke into the control room and shut down the freezing system as bombardment shook Area Seven.
• Tom Banachek urged Dr. He-El to evacuate, calling him humanity’s treasure, but He-El refused to leave.
• Tom decided to release the yellow robot to help humans control the AllSpark and ordered Harold to protect He-El.
• Harold asked about He-El’s knowledge of the cube, and He-El revealed that he could perceive its internal space and source code.
• The yellow robot arrived beneath the AllSpark with armed personnel and two high school students, then reached both hands toward it.

He-El used Bumblebee’s connection to the AllSpark to perceive and control its spatial folds, awakening Instant Transmission as the cube shrank. He revealed his Black Suit and seized the AllSpark while Harold desperately tried to warn the people below.

• He-El explained that he had learned to control the AllSpark’s spatial folds, and Harold realized he intended to control the cube.
• Bumblebee touched the AllSpark as He-El studied its source code and spatial structure, causing the cube to contract to a thirty-five-centimeter size.
• He-El’s cells awakened to cosmic space, and he teleported outside the observation deck, shocking Harold, Tom Banachek, and the others.
• He-El removed his glasses and transformed his suit into a Black Suit as Harold recognized him as the terrifying figure previously monitored by the government.
• Harold tried to break through the observation deck glass and shouted for everyone to run, but no one below could hear him.
• He-El reached out, tore the AllSpark from Bumblebee’s hand, and drew it into his own.

Frenzy sabotaged Area Seven’s efforts to keep Megatron frozen, killing two hose operators and causing chaos in the hangar. Megatron thawed, destroyed the facility, and flew toward the AllSpark hangar.

• Frenzy evaded Area Seven’s guards and sneaked into the hangar where workers were spraying Megatron with liquid nitrogen.
• Frenzy cut a liquid nitrogen hose, freezing and losing his right hand, then killed two operators and sent the hoses spraying wildly.
• As the workers fled and the freezing operation failed, Megatron’s eyes lit up and he broke free of the ice and chains.
• Megatron smashed the hangar, its equipment, and the humans inside with his chain mace.
• Megatron transformed into a jet fighter and flew toward the AllSpark hangar, declaring, "I am Megatron!"

He-El seized the AllSpark and overwhelmed the humans and Bumblebee when they tried to stop him. Frenzy fled in terror, but Megatron continued toward the AllSpark despite the retreat warning.

• He-El took control of the AllSpark, prompting Captain Lennox and his soldiers to aim their guns at him.
• Bumblebee attacked He-El with a particle cannon, but He-El emerged unharmed and Lennox ordered his soldiers to fire.
• He-El reflected the soldiers’ bullets, killing the fourteen soldiers, then stopped Bumblebee’s blade attack and froze him in midair.
• Sam came out of cover to plead for calm, and He-El killed him before crippling Bumblebee while sparing his life.
• Frenzy spotted He-El and fled through the passageway, shouting for the Decepticons to retreat.
• Megatron encountered Frenzy, dismissed his warning, and charged toward the AllSpark.

He-El examined Bumblebee and used the AllSpark to create a destructive yellow Transformer, drawing Megatron out of the tunnel. Megatron recognized He-El's overwhelming power and was trapped in place, but he claimed he understood the AllSpark.

• Captain Lennox's order caused his soldiers to fire on He-El, killing fourteen teammates and Sam while the girl and Tom Banachek hid.
• He-El examined Bumblebee's damaged body and reasoned about how Transformers and the AllSpark might be created.
• He-El used the AllSpark to transform a yellow construction vehicle into a destructive Decepticon, which opened fire on the people nearby.
• Megatron emerged from the tunnel, crushed the yellow Transformer, and confronted He-El.
• Megatron sensed He-El's immense power and found himself unable to move or flee despite firing his engines.
• Megatron declared that he understood the AllSpark.

He-El demonstrated the AllSpark’s power to Megatron, who used it to recover from Quintessa’s control and swore loyalty to He-El. After He-El enhanced Bumblebee through the AllSpark, Bumblebee grew too powerful to endure the transformation and exploded, and He-El headed for the surface with Megatron following.

• He-El forced Megatron to submit and showed him the AllSpark, which restored Megatron’s energy and cleared his Spark of accumulated information.
• Megatron realized Quintessa had controlled the Decepticons with code and planned to steal Unicron’s energy, then knelt and offered to serve He-El.
• He-El erased Quintessa’s control code from the AllSpark and added mental-power source code to improve its ability to transform and strengthen Transformers.
• He-El used the AllSpark to alter Bumblebee into numerous forms and vastly increase his power, but Bumblebee grew beyond what his body could withstand and exploded.
• He-El left through the dome toward the surface, and Megatron followed him.

He-El emerged from beneath Hoover Dam holding the AllSpark as Starscream attacked the facility and tried to claim leadership of the Decepticons. Megatron stopped Starscream’s missile, reunited with him, and directed his attention to He-El, whose power left Starscream terrified.

• Starscream attacked Hoover Dam, destroying power and communications systems while demanding news of the AllSpark from Frenzy.
• After Frenzy repeatedly urged retreat, Starscream declared himself leader and ordered the Decepticons to assemble and reclaim the AllSpark.
• He-El burst through the ground holding the AllSpark and searched the sky for protons released by human laser carving.
• Starscream fired a cluster missile at He-El, but Megatron emerged from underground and destroyed it with his chain flail.
• Megatron punched Starscream, then led him toward He-El and told him to worship their master.
• Starscream saw He-El and panicked at the immense power contained in his human-sized body.

He-El searched the atmosphere for humanity’s laser-engraved protons while Megatron and Starscream guarded him. As a convoy approached, He-El began using the Black Suit to manipulate the protons, and Megatron recognized an old friend in the distance.

• Megatron reported to He-El that the disturbance had been dealt with and threatened to execute Starscream for offending his master.
• He-El told Megatron to guard him, then rose into the air and amplified his biological magnetic field to reach the protons in the atmosphere.
• Starscream watched He-El’s power grow and became overwhelmed with fear.
• Megatron told Starscream to stop gawking and prepare to meet old friends as a blue-and-red Peterbilt truck approached along the highway.

Optimus Prime and the Autobots drove toward Hoover Dam, where Megatron was waiting beneath the terrifyingly powerful He-El, who held the AllSpark. After the Autobots fought their way through a missile attack, Optimus Prime confronted Megatron, and Megatron retaliated by sending him crashing underground.

• Optimus Prime led Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide toward Hoover Dam and spotted Megatron standing on a mountain with He-El floating above him, holding the AllSpark.
• Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet discussed He-El’s immense power while the Autobots approached Megatron’s firing range.
• Megatron ordered Starscream to fire cluster missiles at the convoy, and Optimus Prime rallied the Autobots to evade the attack and keep fighting for the AllSpark.
• Optimus Prime transformed, flew at Megatron, and struck with his Judgment Sword while Ironhide, Ratchet, and Jazz engaged Starscream.
• Optimus Prime taunted Megatron for fearing He-El and refusing to seize the AllSpark, and Megatron transformed into a Cybertron jet and drove Optimus Prime underground.

Optimus Prime and Megatron battled through the underground passage and fell into the AllSpark storage area, where Optimus found Bumblebee’s shattered body. Megatron proposed an alliance to reclaim the AllSpark, and after Harold offered them a way out, both factions began retreating.

• Megatron and Optimus Prime fought as they fell through the underground passage, destroying one another’s cannon arms in a mutual blast.
• Optimus saw Bumblebee’s enormous shattered remains and accused Megatron of modifying him, but Megatron said He-El had used the AllSpark to empower Bumblebee.
• Megatron demanded that Optimus help reclaim the AllSpark, but Optimus refused and chose death; Megatron spared him and proposed they settle ownership after retrieving it.
• Harold entered the storage area, and Optimus stopped Megatron from attacking him; Harold offered to lead them out through another route.
• Megatron and Optimus contacted their forces and followed Harold, ordering the Decepticons and Autobots to retreat.

He-El used his biological magnetic field to create a vast golden barrier across the troposphere, blocking sunlight over Nevada and Arizona. The National Weather Service determined that the spreading barrier would cause a catastrophic drop in temperatures and threaten life across the region.

• Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide retreated by road, while Starscream fled in an F-22 after the Autobots and Decepticons received retreat orders.
• He-El extended his biological magnetic field across a quarter of Earth’s troposphere and arranged protons into golden working-medium barriers.
• The golden barrier spread over Las Vegas, shading the city and cooling Nevada and Arizona as residents watched and recorded it.
• Hobart ordered Primo to direct weather satellites at the anomaly, and the National Weather Service discovered that the barrier was absorbing sunlight.
• National Weather Service employees warned that temperatures would keep falling, plants would wither, and Nevada and Arizona could enter an ice age if the barrier persisted.

The president and senior officials concluded that the Golden Barrier could not be destroyed and proposed building underground cities to shelter the United States. Harold arrived with evidence that a black shadow had controlled officials around the world to create the barrier and prepare underground cities, drawing everyone’s attention to the president.

• A report warned that the Golden Barrier had covered Nevada and Arizona, was absorbing vast amounts of energy, and could devastate Earth if destroyed.
• The officials ruled out attacking or relocating the barrier and agreed that the president’s proposal to build underground cities was the only immediate plan.
• Harold forced his way into the Executive Office and said he knew the truth behind the barrier.
• Harold played records claiming a black shadow had controlled officials and institutions worldwide to engrave protons, launch them into the atmosphere, and plan underground cities.
• The officials turned their gazes toward the president after Harold presented the evidence.

Harold learned that leaders around the world had launched laser-engraved protons into the atmosphere, helping Dr. He-El build the Sevenfold Golden Barrier. Optimus Prime explained that the completed barrier would either charge the AllSpark or pierce Earth, while He-El’s second layer began spreading and gathering solar energy.

• Harold confronted the president and accused him and other officials of betraying Earth by launching protons into the atmosphere.
• A communications officer reported that Army General Adolf had spotted a second Golden Barrier forming in the stratosphere above Hoover Dam.
• Harold asked Optimus Prime to analyze Dr. He-El’s plan and sent him the proton locations and circuit data.
• Optimus Prime explained that the seven atmospheric barriers would concentrate sunlight into a seventy-thousand-degree ionic beam capable of piercing Earth in sixteen seconds or charging the AllSpark.
• He-El completed the first barrier over Nevada and Arizona, and the second layer began spreading through the stratosphere.

He-El completed the first Golden Barrier over Nevada and Arizona, then discovered Megatron and Starscream had fled while an army surrounded him. He used the AllSpark to begin transforming his Black Suit into a guardian as General Adolf threatened him, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• He-El finished the first Golden Barrier and set the second layer in the stratosphere to assemble itself automatically.
• After recovering from his exhaustion, He-El found soldiers and military vehicles surrounding him and asked where Megatron was.
• General Adolf questioned He-El and warned that humanity would not fear war, while He-El concluded Megatron and Starscream had missed their chance to serve him.
• He-El used the AllSpark to prepare a Transformer with his own source code, deciding the Black Suit was the best choice for a guardian.
• As General Adolf and the soldiers threatened him, He-El pressed the AllSpark against his Black Suit.

He-El used the AllSpark to create the Black Suit Transformer while Army General Adolf ordered his troops to attack. After the new suit annihilated the army with electromagnetic force, He-El combined its nanomachines with his cape to create a giant Transformer that pledged to guard him.

• He-El controlled the AllSpark’s folded space and used its energy and source code to create the Black Suit Transformer.
• Army General Adolf ordered the soldiers to fire on He-El, and tanks and other weapons bombarded him for nearly three minutes.
• Blue energy particles emerged from the smoke and disintegrated the vanguard, then pulled apart the rest of the thirty-thousand-strong army.
• He-El emerged unharmed in his Black Suit as the electromagnetic vortex stopped around him.
• He-El threw his cape to the nanomachines, which merged with it to form a nearly five-meter-tall Transformer.
• The Transformer knelt before He-El, named itself his guardian knight, and pledged to protect its master.

After the United States lost thirty thousand troops to He-El’s electromagnetic power, Harold and the president organized underground-city construction and cooperation with the Transformers. As Optimus Prime sent Autobots to find Sentinel Prime, Megatron enlisted The Fallen and Quintessa in rival plans to exploit Earth’s crisis and the Star Harvester.

• The White House learned that He-El had reduced thirty thousand soldiers and their equipment to atoms in four seconds, and officials agreed to build underground cities while preparing to fight back.
• Harold became humanity’s representative, and the president gave him a file about the crashed spacecraft on the Moon; Harold then arranged cooperation between humanity and the Transformers at a Hawaii base cluster.
• Optimus Prime explained that Sentinel Prime, his former teacher, had crashed on the Moon, and Autobots launched rockets to search for him.
• Megatron contacted The Fallen, who traveled to Egypt and activated the Star Harvester at the Khafre Pyramid, intending to use it with the Sevenfold Golden Barrier against He-El.
• Megatron secretly contacted Quintessa, told her the AllSpark and the stolen staff were on Earth, and warned her that Optimus Prime, Sentinel Prime, The Fallen, and humanity were preparing for a major battle as Unicron might awaken.