Project Nefarious

Project Nefarious, also referred to as Operation Nefarious, was conceived by the clandestine organisation known as the Initiative with the aim of recreating the AllSpark, an alien device which would bestow them with unlimited godlike powers. Heading the project is Initiative member Hank Kirkpatrick, who has reservations regarding whether they'll succeed.

Fiction

IDW Revenge of the Fallen comics

Attempting to gather AllSpark energy to feed their growing Cube, the Initiative reconstructed Ravage and had him steal destroyed AllSpark Mutations from Guantanamo Bay. Tales of the Fallen #5 An Initiative team extracted the energy from the mutations and it was fed to the growing AllSpark, but the supply was quickly exhausted. Nefarious #1 Kirkpatrick warned that if they didn't feed it more energy, it could implode, taking Earth and much of the Solar System with it. Initiative head Carter Newell conceived of a way to gather more AllSpark energy, from the location the original AllSpark had lain for hundreds of years — Hoover Dam. Nefarious #2

The Cube absorbed all of the energy they managed to gather from the dam, and Kirkpatrick's team stabilized its growth curve. Newell had himself wired directly into it and used its power to kill the rest of the Initiative board. Optimus Prime, en route to the location, was able to sense its use. Kirkpatrick warned that the AllSpark was entering meltdown phase. Nefarious #5 Newell draw on the AllSpark's power, frying Kirkpatrick when the man tried to stop him. He began to use the AllSpark's power to end all Transformer life on the planet, but was interrupted and wounded by Reedman. Newell attempted to flee with the AllSpark but was stopped by Optimus, who prepared to try and stabilize the AllSpark with his own spark. He was prevented from sacrificing himself by Fortress, who carried the unstable Cube into space before it exploded.

The Project Nefarious data was lifted from their computer system by Soundwave. Nefarious #6

Notes

• This isn't the first time someone's tried to make a new AllSpark — Starscream previously tried it in The Reign of Starscream, with even less success.