Quest for the AllSpark

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"Quest for the AllSpark"
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers
Imprint	HarperCollins Children's Books
Published in	United Kingdom
First published	January 5, 2009
Written by	Colin Brake
Continuity	Transformers Animated cartoon
ISBN	0007298919 978-0007298914
Page count	128
Price	£4.99

When Megatron takes control of the machinery in the Autobot base, the Autobots hatch a plan to keep the AllSpark safe.

Synopsis

Walking off the field after baseball practice, you notice Sari Sumdac, sitting looking upset. She tells you that the Autobots have gone missing without telling her, and decides to go check their secret factory base. The pair of you reach the factory and slip inside via a side door, but within the lights fail to automatically switch on. In the main factory area, you're attacked by a cleaning bot which attempts to vacuum you up. Luckily you're saved by Bumblebee. 'Bee explains that Megatron has taken control of the city's 'bot workforce and attacked the Autobots. To keep the AllSpark safe, Optimus Prime and Ratchet came up with a plan — send the Autobots out with boxes containing the AllSpark and four convincing fakes to be hidden. The others have failed to return to the base.

Using the communications gear, you contact Ratchet, who says he was attacked as soon as he set foot in Paris, and that you should go and find Bulkhead in Los Angeles. Bumblebee gets you there in no time, but the city is huge, and you don't know where to look for Bulkhead, until Bumblebee points out the massive plume of smoke rising from a rapidly burning building. Bulkhead charges out, attacking Bumblebee and claiming his teammate is a fake. This is apparently confirmed by Professor Heinz Von Furstwartz who has a machine that analyses the origin of machine components, and that says Bumblebee was manufactured in Detroit rather than somewhere in outer space. Sari is skeptical, and it's quickly established that the device is not what it seems. Once it's destroyed, Bulkhead calms down. The Professor attempts to flee, but is caught by Bumblebee and reveals that he built the device with the help of someone he met online.

Bulkhead checks his box and realises he's been carrying a fake AllSpark. Prowl rendezvous with you, having concealed his box. Sari is contacted by Prime, who can't divulge where he and Ratchet are over an open comms channel, but gives you the riddle "what's black and white and read all over?" This leads you to the Central Library. Though the library's closed for the night, you break in and find Optimus... and a site clearance 'bot named Crush-A who promptly attacks him. A fight ensues over Prime's AllSpark box, during which you realise that Crush-A is being remote controlled. In a glass-walled room overlooking the library, Bumblebee catches Doctor Cornelius Lighthouse. Though he gloats that he almost got hold of the AllSpark for his research, Prime reveals that all five of the boxes contained fake AllSparks — the real thing is quite safe. Once the police take Doctor Lighthouse away, Bumblebee takes you and Sari home.

Featured characters

Quotes

"Wheee! This is fun!" [hits tree] "Apart from that bit."

—Bumblebee

"I knew all those hours playing pool would pay off!"

—Bumblebee

"Some woman named Tron. Meg A. Tron."

—Professor Heinz Von Furstwartz explains the identity of the woman he met online.

Notes

Multipath

• In this book, you have recently moved to Detroit, and joined a baseball club. You've been meaning to make friends with Sari on the off chance you'll get to meet the Autobots. Wow, you should be ashamed of yourself!
• Alternate paths:
  • Rather than Professor Von Furstwartz, Bulkhead is duped by a gardening 'bot with a special rod which makes it appear to be Prime.
  • Bulkhead's box has the real AllSpark in it, in which case your adventure ends then and there with the arrival of Optimus and Ratchet, who reveal they've upgraded the base's defences.
  • Prime and Ratchet are at the Jam Jar Club in downtown Detroit. The riddle you get is "When is a door not a door?"
  • Crush-A isn't being remote controlled and is genuinely in Megatron's thrall. Bumblebee overloads him when you realise he's absorbing the Autobots' firepower.
  • Bumblebee catches you before you enter the Autobot factory base. He's hidden his box at the Race Track and is looking for Bulkhead, who is either at the City Art Gallery or the Detroit Sculpture Park.
    • In the art gallery, you encounter Crush-A, who's defeated after a brief battle with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and disappears in a flash of light. After Prowl arrives, the path leads you to either the Jam Jar Club or library.
    • In the Sculpture Park, you find Prowl and a massive forcefield. When you break through, you find Bulkhead, who has the real AllSpark.

Continuity notes

• Bulkhead likes to hang out at the City Art Gallery or Detroit Sculpture Park, as per his interest in artwork, established in "Headmaster".
• Megatron previously attacked the Autobots using controlled devices in "Home Is Where the Spark Is".

Trivia

• Sari's AllSpark Key vibrates and/or glows when a Cybertronian is near.
• The AllSpark can protect itself by creating a large dome-shaped force field.
• AllSpark is spelled with a lower-case S throughout.
• Ratchet says he has "deadlocked the bases systems", a reference to Doctor Who, in which, if something is "deadlocked", the title character's sonic screwdriver won't work on it.