Peter stared at the amazing machine in front of him, ignoring the captain still looking at the ground.

We can't unfreeze you right now, we dont have a spare power supply for someone your size. We’re barely coping with your friends.

I am prepared to wait. I have been trapped here while your species conducted its test, I can wait a little longer. Can you tell me who else survived?

Well, damn, thought Peter. He didn't even know how many there were originally.

Only Arcee is awake, but there are four more.

She was one of the last of us to be created. We learned to make ourselves more energy efficient as the energy ran out. Are there no others?

I'm sorry no. we have a hanger with the remains, but Arcee was pretty mad at there being Decepticons there as well.

There are Deceptions here? You must free me immediately. Your planet is in danger.

Woah Woah, big guy. There have been no transforming robots of any kind popping up in the news. We’ll get a power supply here for you, start getting this ice off and then we can talk okay?

Transformer is a derogatory term, one I would prefer you did not use. We are Cybertronians.

Shit, meet a cool as hell giant robot and call it a racial slur, good going, Pete.

Sorry, I’m Peter, Peter Parker. Once Arcee is recharged we can get her in here to help free you. It might not be a lot but even the small reactor would help.

Thank you, Peter Parker. I am finally glad to be able to communicate properly with your species. And if you find my finger, I would like it back.

Peter grimaced at that, as he had a feeling it was used to make Master Mold.

I'm going to check on Arcee, I’ll be back soon. And he let his symbskin connection retract back into his skin.

“Colonel. Optimus isn’t hostile and is asking to be freed. You have my word he won't attack. So uh, can you turn the liquid nitrogen off?”

“I need to contact the control room. Having the kill switch in the same building is pretty dumb.” He replied. "Coulson, We have confirmation the Ice Man is friendly, am I authorised to release him?" Peter could hear the quiet conversation on the other end, and he knew Coulson said yes.

Peter nodded and started to examine the hole. It would probably be the best palace to start, letting Optimus see. The ice down by his legs was already cracked, and as he looked around, he decided that would be better.

“The systems will take a bit to shut off. They were designed to run constantly and only stopped during repairs.” Lennox explained.

Liv, how is Arcee? I need her to help free Optimus. Even using Extremis, melting a few feet of ice will take forever.

Arcee is remarkable Peter, and she is slowly recovering. Her system isn't compatible with our reactor. They use something called Energon. It’s a strange blend of energies but even I'm having problems with some of the math on how to create it.

Damn, he thought to himself, that was a new one.

Right, do your best. 

“Hey, do you have the backplate to his part? Oh and the finger?” Peter asked Lennox, figuring leaving the back of Optimus’s skull wide open was maybe not the best thing. And Lexxox pointed to a shelf that had been added to the ice. 

“The panel was kept there in case it started to leak anything toxic.”

Peter nodded and lifted the small hatch clipping it back in place. "And the finger?"

"It's in storage. Trask took some parts but left most of it for us to play with. His contract took him somewhere north."

Do you have anything north of here? One of our scientists gave up on trying to figure you out and went there.

As I do not know where we are, I do not know. But, I was not alone when we arrived here. He may have found something of mine.

Right, we can deal with that later then. It was years ago. We're turning the cooling off and can start working on freeing you. Can you help?

There was a deep groaning noise as Optimus tried to move. I am sorry but the ice is too thick. I would severely damage myself.

Don't worry, but uh, if I scratch your paint, I can't help it.

I can worry about my vanity after I am free, and thank you, Peter.

With a deep breath, he let his claws extend out and they blazed a deep red as they heated up. Sinking them into the ice at either side of the borehole he managed to get a grip on some of the ice. He ignored the freezing cold as it hissed against his hot symbskin.

When they were sunk in enough he pulled. The ice creaked and cracked as his muscles bulged under his clothing. A piece a few inches thick snapped away on either side and while it wasn't much, it was a start.

"Okay. How about I leave that to you, and not get in the way," Lennox said brushing ice shards from his uniform. "Or get hurt when you start ripping off  huge chunks."

"Right sorry. Put a tarp down and maybe get a couple of guys to throw the larger pieces in a bucket before it melts," Peter suggested.

"Right. Then work for fifteen, let them clear up for fifteen and start again. Break for lunch and evening meal. They do have their own duties." Lennox lowered the scissor lift, showed Perter how to raise it, and went to find some men. Peter saw Kent and another soldier come back later with tarps and a huge metal bucket.

"If you can aim for that, that'd be great," they dumped them under the lift and then moved away to lean against a wall.

No rest for the wicked then, he strained and began to dig into the ice once more.

⁂

Once Arcee had recovered enough, Liv and Natasha could come and help.

Arcee had sat up and unhooked the cable from her chest plate, "I can help. I am much stronger than I appear."

Coulson stepped forward, and two troopers fell in behind him, "I think, Miss, that you should stay here. Until we can corroborate your story."

"You mean keep her prisoner," Liv spat, "She is an alien, and..."

"And I agree, however, even as a visitor to our planet there are laws that govern the fair treatment of prisoners. Laws which was can agree she broke."

"I shall submit. For now. However, once my commander is free, it shall be up to him." Arcee sat back down, "And what of my friends? Do I alert them or do you wish to keep them in hibernation?"

Coulson looked at the four still connected to the generator, "Keep them powered down for now. We don't want any more accidents."

Liv looked at Natasha, who nodded.

Keep an eye on Arcee. Peter is not going to like that Coulson has her prisoner.

Natasha mentally snorted, As if Ross or his goons could keep us from leaving.

I know, I know, but I would prefer we didn't leave another mess.

⁂

The ice wasn't difficult to clear, it was just boring. His Extremis was hot enough to melt the ice but only in small areas. He had tried to inject tendrils of superheated fibres into the ice but it was just too thick to melt in sheets. The largest chuck he had pulled off was the size of a Post-it note.

Peter had managed to clear the back of Optimus's head when Liv knocked on the scissor lift and Peter lowered it. Carefully swapping gems Liv nodded.

“He is amazing as well. But I wonder why he is so much larger?” She mused as she picked at the ice around the exposed leg.

“He said they were running out of food, so they made newer Cybertronians like Arcee smaller.”

Liv frowned, “do you think there are more?” 

Peter could only shrug. “Lennox mentioned they give off a unique type of radiation. I'm sure if we borrow a satellite or two, then we can find out. Doesn't the military have satellites tuned to detect energy?” 

It was Liv's turn to shrug, “I know Oscorp didn't, but Stark probably does. I'm sure he won't mind if we borrow them for a little bit.”

Peter laughed. Sure he wouldn't, because they wouldn't ask.

“You know, if we work together, we should be able to clear more of this leg.“

Liv pointed to a few fracture points where the ice had already been removed. 

Looking closer Peter could see the plating over his leg had been welded back on, and he groaned. “They were salvaging components,” he explained and Liv's eyes narrowed.

“Bloody savages,” she said and Peter let his symbskin finger heat and slide into the ice.

Where there were holes Liv extended her harness arms and jammed the pincers into them. She spun the ends, letting the bladed ends drill further in. He stood on the other side and gripped the base of the ice sheet, hoping that he wasn't hurting the giant robot.

“And one.” Liv pulled while Peter pushed, and they were rewarded by a series of large cracks across the ice. Peter huffed and as it lifted more and more Liv slid her own hands under the ice, she lifted as much as she could. They both yelled as a section of ice, almost a meter in length and three meters long, splintered and cracked. They stepped back as it fell away from the main block.

Liv huffed, “You haven't made me grunt like that for a while dear.” 

Peter laughed. “At least a few days.”

Removing even a small section of the meter-thick ice was a good start. Peter and Liv moved away as Kent and the other soldier came over and began to sweep the mess up. Kent gave Peter a glare and a head shake as he saw the size of the ice.

“Maybe that is the way to go. Rather than melting it, we should shatter it off. If we aim our repulsors at the top layer, we could.“ 

Peter shook his head, “We have no idea how hurt Optimus is, or if his metal can resist the temperatures. No, slow and as gentle as possible.”

Liv looked over at the exposed metal leg, “Of course, of course.”

Peter moved over next to her, slipping a hand around her waist. “Do I need to be worried? I mean, it's probably the same size as me.” Peter nudged her on the shoulder.

“There is a limit to even my depravity dear. There is such a thing as too big you know.” She turned and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, “but if a little jealousy will earn me some alone time, then I’m all for it. Giant robot or not.” 

Peter laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her, he did feel guilty though, was he doing enough?

Liv pinched his side. “Leave that thought alone until the giant killer Sentinel is gone and everyone is safe. Nobody is thinking about dating, Safety first, then dinner.” Peter nodded.

Unless you’re offering to do me like Nat, and a quickie in the toilets is on offer.

While Peter thought about it. No, he replied. A top-secret military base would be an accomplishment. Being caught having sex in a top-secret military base wouldn't be.

No, you're right. Safe, then sex. Liv tutted, Talked my way out of it, and she shrugged, this is nice though.

They waited until Kurt and his friend brought a cart over to lift the heavy block of ice before they resumed work. "I promise, smaller pieces." but Kurt just snorted again. Peter hadn’t failed to notice each of the barrels they were putting the ice in was marked. They were keeping samples.

“While repulsors might be bad, pincers and brute strength should be fine.” As his armour thickened at the arms, Peter lay a punch into the block of ice, cracking it. “I’ll work my way around, shattering it as much as I can. Use the harness to remove chunks and see what you can do. I’ll meet you back here once I've done a circle.”

Liv cleared her throat, “It might be better to start at the top dear, once you free his arms he might be able to help himself. The ice is that thick you can break off several centimetres without doing any damage below.” 

Looking up Peter shrugged. “You’re the boss. Uh, I'm holding two stones, I don't have any free arms."

Liv laughed and her harness ends spun and detached. "You should have brought spares."

Peter rolled his eyes at her as he changed his boots to include grips. Two pincers anchored him to the ice he began to climb and once at the top anchored himself.

The ice was no thinner here, in fact as Optimus’s head was smaller than his body the ice was thicker. Liv was still right, freeing him from the top would be better. He placed both feet on the ice and wound up a punch. He pulled back, letting his fist become as hot as he could make it and then punched forward, smashing the ice.

Chips flew everywhere and the mechanical arms waved batting time to one side as she saw the damage. A huge cracked crater now sat where Peter had punched and Liv nodded. “Make the next one about a meter to the left, free the back first as there is already damage there.”

“Okay,” he shouted back and lifting himself he moved, stuck once more and then again. He needed to punch the block five times before Liv was happy.

Her own harness brought her to the first crater. With two holding her in position, two became blades and she plunged them into the centre impact.

Seeing what she was doing Peter moved to her right side. “You got that way and I’ll go this way.” They slowly moved around the head stabbing and breaking up the ice around the head.

It was slow but eventually the last of the ice fell away in huge sheets revealing the robotic face of Optimus. His head was humanoid but rather than a mouth he had an angled faceplate. On either side of his head, his ears were two antennae, one of which had been broken. Peter got what Arcee meant, his head was blue and on his forehead was a hexagonal design, pointing down his brow.

“Hey Optimus, you okay?” Peter asked, he really hoped they hadn't knocked anything loose with all the pounding.

“I am fine Peter Parker. I am glad to be free of the ice, even if it is this part. Are you continuing?”

Peter nodded. “They didn't have large excavation tools, so it’ll be slow. We’re going to work on the side that's partially uncovered, so you can move your arms. Okay?” 

Optimus nodded. “Proceed,” he said.

Peter noticed the faceplate moved up and down as he spoke.

Must be his mouth, he thought. Guess they don't eat solids then.

With the pair of soldiers cleaning up below them, Liv and Peter climbed over Optimus like insects. More so as they stabbed and shattered ice, working to free Optimus from his icy prison.