Megatron was half-skeptical of the Fallen's promise.
It wasn't that he doubted the Fallen's abilities—after all, he was one of the original seven Primes, so he certainly possessed that much power—it was mainly that he questioned the Fallen's character.
The excellent traditions of the Decepticons were well known to all.
To be the leader of a group of rebels, if he, Megatron, could be fooled by a few words, Starscream would have killed him long ago. How could he have held the position of Decepticon leader until today?
Of course, Megatron wouldn't be so foolish as to refute the Fallen at this moment. After all, both sides were still in the 'honeymoon period' of their cooperation.
Gazing at the Fallen, who had fallen into slumber on the mechanical throne, a chilling glint flashed in Megatron's eyes. He sneered internally and slowly departed.
He transformed into a Cybertronian jet and swiftly left the Moon.
As he approached Earth's orbit, Soundwave, who had transformed into a satellite, immediately transmitted a communication: "Master, I have bad news."
"The Allspark Shard was stolen by the Autobots?"
Megatron's voice was low, conveying his extreme displeasure, but constrained by Soundwave being one of the few subordinates fiercely loyal to him, he couldn't really lash out. So, he could only redirect his anger towards Starscream: "Very well, it seems… I must teach Starscream a lesson!"
As the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron's daily routine consisted of eating, sleeping, and beating Starscream.
Why was Starscream a traitor?
He was too bad at pretending; his rebellious intent was visible in his eyes. Such a subordinate needed to be frequently disciplined on a physical level to keep him in line!
"Master, Starscream and Thundercracker are dead."
Soundwave said with some embarrassment.
"What? Dead?!"
Megatron was stunned, feeling a sudden pang of sadness.
It wasn't that he was sad about Starscream's death, but purely a little upset at losing such a 'punching bag'.
No matter what, although Starscream was rebellious through and through, one thing was undeniable: Starscream was an excellent subordinate. Otherwise, how could he have lasted this long?
"How did Starscream die?" Megatron immediately grew furious. He transformed from his Cybertronian jet form, grabbed Soundwave in his satellite state, and demanded, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him?"
"Master, my detection signal was suddenly blocked for a few minutes…" Soundwave said remorsefully, "At the time, my attention was drawn by another wave of Autobots, and I completely failed to notice Starscream and Thundercracker's signals disappearing. By the time I realized… they were already dead."
After hearing the explanation, though Megatron was still somewhat angry, he suppressed his rage: "Who killed them?"
No one would have expected that in a matter of minutes, in the blink of an eye, Starscream and Thundercracker would be dead.
Even Megatron hadn't anticipated it.
While the combination of Starscream and Thundercracker wasn't considered incredibly powerful, they weren't beings that could be eliminated in just a few minutes. There had to be something wrong!
"I had the Human military bring Starscream and Thundercracker's bodies back to base for 'Scalpel' to examine." Soundwave paused for half a second at this point.
"Continue."
Megatron said in a deep voice.
"According to 'Scalpel's' examination results… it's very strange."
Soundwave's tone grew several shades heavier: "Starscream's primary cause of death was the 'decomposition' of his energy core. That was a product of technology superior to Human technology. Even we… don't know much about that kind of technology that can completely decompose transformium."
Upon hearing this, Megatron suddenly recalled the Fallen's warning to him: "The alien life form in Starscream's report?"
"In Scalpel's report, it states there's a 99% possibility that the opponent possesses higher-tech weaponry that can inflict fatal damage on us." Soundwave believed that the killer was very likely the 'alien life form' from Starscream's report.
Megatron fell silent.
As the leader of the Decepticons, his ability to defeat the Autobots largely stemmed from his prudence.
Assuming it truly was the alien life form from Starscream's report, then it might indeed possess some technology superior to Cybertronian tech. This would explain how it could kill Starscream and Thundercracker in just a few minutes, during the interval when Soundwave was tracking the Autobot signal.
"Did Starscream and Thundercracker report any messages before they died?" Megatron suspected they might have found the Allspark Shard but it was ultimately stolen.
"No reports, master."
After Soundwave finished speaking, as if remembering something, he continued: "But I investigated nearby surveillance. Starscream and Thundercracker were chasing a Human, and the location was… Los Angeles!"
"Indeed… Have all Decepticons abandon the pursuit of the Autobots and fully concentrate on apprehending the Human female, Mikaela Banes!"
From the Fallen, Megatron already knew that the Allspark Shard's information had been transferred to that Human female. Combining this with Soundwave's intelligence, he could roughly deduce the entire sequence of events.
Starscream and Thundercracker detected the Allspark Shard's radiation in Los Angeles, but during the struggle to acquire it, they were ambushed and killed by the 'alien life form'!
In other words.
The 'alien life form's' target was also the Allspark's information. As long as they found Mikaela, they wouldn't fail to find that mysterious alien life form!
"Send the shadow Warriors."
Megatron sneered slightly and said, "Once the target is found, immediately report the coordinates. I will make him regret opposing the Decepticons!"
"Yes, my master!"
...Even though Autobots don't need to refuel or worry about drowsy driving, it still took them nearly thirty hours to reach Washington State.
A large portion of that time was wasted on trying to avoid risks, as well as the United States President's orders, which had FBI agents stationed in every state and city, specifically using radiation detection devices to check every car entering and exiting.
The most troublesome part wasn't this, but Mikaela.
Emrys finally understood why, on long drives, you should never let a woman sit in the passenger seat.
One minute she needed to use the restroom, the next she wanted to eat.
The level of trouble was truly the most headache-inducing part of this journey. If it weren't for Mikaela being Human and still holding crucial information in her head, he would have kicked her out of the car long ago.
After finally reaching Washington, Mikaela couldn't wait to find a motel to Shower, claiming she hadn't showered in three days. Even if a gun was held to her head, she insisted on showering first.
Women… so troublesome!
Emrys leaned against the door, waiting for Mikaela to finish showering.
Then, he saw Mikaela emerge from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and throw him a seductive glance: "Don't you~ want to do something to me?"
Honestly, Mikaela, with Megan Fox's figure and looks, was indeed a stunner, but unfortunately… he disliked freckles.
Especially with his intense eyesight, he could even clearly see the distribution map of the freckles on Mikaela's face, which made him lose his appetite even more.
He was a gentleman, alright!
"I'm sorry, we have reproductive isolation."
Emrys threw her clothes over and said coldly, "Besides, your looks and figure don't meet my standards. If you're really desperate, I don't mind going outside and finding a black man to satisfy you."
"…"
Mikaela's eyes widened, looking incredulous.
She was rejected again?
Actually, ever since she was saved from Starscream by him, Mikaela had been a little infatuated with Emrys. Who could resist an caucasian male with the handsome appearance of a reader and the aura of nobility?
But it seemed no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him to look at her properly, which was a huge blow to Mikaela, who was usually very confident in her charm!
"Are you… even a man?!" Mikaela was somewhat exasperated. She was practically naked. According to Hollywood plots, shouldn't the male and female leads be getting it on right now? "I'll give you ten seconds to get dressed and come out."
Emrys half-closed his eyes, scrutinizing Mikaela with a hint of threat: "Otherwise, I'll call the black men downstairs to come up and satisfy your desires. I'm sure they'd be very happy to help you with that."
"…"
Mikaela was so frightened that she shivered.
Just thinking about those greasy black men on top of her made her want to vomit. Without another word, she started getting dressed. She didn't think Emrys was bluffing; this bastard… was truly capable of doing such a thing!
Why couldn't she have just done it earlier? Always needing a threat!
Emrys turned and slammed the door, went downstairs, counted ten seconds, and then saw a flustered Mikaela, fully dressed, rushing down from upstairs.
"Bumblebee, to the National Air and Space Museum."
Emrys reclined the seat, sat in the passenger seat, propped his legs up, and closed his eyes.
Mikaela sat in the driver's seat with her head down. Although she didn't actually need to drive, she always had to put on a show to fool others.
Soon, they arrived in front of the museum.
"Are we going in?" Mikaela glanced at Emrys, who seemed to be sleeping next to her, and asked softly.
The bio-armor's detection mode allowed Emrys to confirm that the target was inside this museum, so he said, "Let's walk around for a bit and come back tonight."
The security at the National Museum, while not overly strict—they could easily force their way in—would inevitably lead to greater trouble, which was contrary to their goal.
Night fell.
Bumblebee returned to the museum. Emrys deployed his magnetic field, enveloping the entire museum, temporarily blocking signals, and then walked directly in through the front door.
Security guard?
What security guard?
The security guard who had just spotted them was about to give a warning when he felt his head grow heavy and collapsed to the ground.
"Won't we really be wanted for this?"
Mikaela was genuinely scared. She felt that after this was over, she would most likely end up in jail.
"It's okay, Mikaela." Bumblebee comforted her very 'thoughtfully': "You're already wanted, for crimes against humanity."
"Wh-… When did that happen?"
For a moment, Mikaela felt like her world had collapsed.
"The day before yesterday. It must have been the Decepticons. They already know you have the Allspark information," Bumblebee said.
Mikaela looked like a frosted eggplant, completely wilted, muttering blankly, "I… I'm wanted? I… crimes against humanity?"
She had never expected that simply by agreeing to Sam to keep that shard safe, she would end up becoming… a wanted criminal for crimes against humanity?!
Her father was, at most, a thief, but by her generation, it had directly escalated to crimes against humanity. It was truly a new high!
You're good at comforting people, Bumblebee.
Looking at the dejected Mikaela, and considering that this woman still had some use, Emrys spoke to comfort her: "Don't worry. Once the Decepticons are dealt with, you'll be the savior of humanity. Even the President will give you an award."
"R-really?"
Hope flickered in Mikaela's eyes.
"Have I ever lied to you?"
Emrys glanced at her, then continued searching for his target.
Soon, a jet with a sleek, all-black coating caught his eye: "Blackbird SR-71 reconnaissance plane… I finally found you."
"Commander, is this the target you were looking for?"
Bumblebee scanned it, utterly unable to believe that such an old antique of a jet was worth thirty hours of their time.
"Heh, don't be so impatient, Bumblebee."
Emrys nudged Mikaela and said lightly, "Go on, take out the Allspark Shard."
"There won't be any danger, right?"
In this world, Mikaela hadn't experienced what she did in the movie, so she lacked courage. She was more like a child with a bit of an adventurous spirit who suddenly stumbled into conflict.
"With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Emrys frowned, urging her: "Don't waste time. The time I can block is limited. If the Decepticons find us, that's when it will be truly dangerous."
"Okay, okay…"
Mikaela swallowed. She trusted Emrys. She took the Allspark Shard from her pocket and slowly approached the Blackbird reconnaissance plane.
Just a few steps away, the Allspark Shard in her hand seemed to be pulled by some force, flying directly out and touching the Blackbird reconnaissance plane.
Buzz—!
A unique transforming energy surged, injecting from the shard into the Blackbird reconnaissance plane. Bumblebee's eyes immediately widened.
The next moment, the Blackbird reconnaissance plane seemed to activate, awakening from its long slumber. Its body began to transform, but perhaps due to the long years of dormancy, each step of its transformation was slow and laborious, like an elderly person.
At the same time, accompanied by a large number of parts falling off during the transformation, the Blackbird finally completed its transformation.
"Cough, cough…"
Jetfire coughed laboriously. His elongated face even had metal pendants resembling a beard. He leaned on a cane, hunched over, staring at them: "What time is it now? Are you Decepticons or Autobots?"
"Commander, he's a Decepticon!"
Bumblebee saw the symbol on Jetfire's body and immediately brought out his energy cannon, his facial armor closing up. He had clearly entered battle mode, vigilantly staring at the other party.
"No need to be nervous, Bumblebee."
Emrys appeared very calm, smiling as he looked at Jetfire: "Allow me to introduce you. This is one of the earliest Decepticon members, your elder, Jetfire."
"Oh, it seems you're Autobots."
Seeing Bumblebee's intense reaction, Jetfire had no difficulty guessing their identity, but he bent down curiously, staring at Emrys: "You… are very strange. You are not Human, nor are you a Transformer. Why does he call you Commander?"
"Because…"
Emrys was about to speak, but his brow furrowed slightly, and his gaze shifted to the back of the museum, his eyes narrowing: "It seems that question will have to wait for a moment before I can answer it."
A Human wearing a security uniform suddenly appeared from the darkness, looking at them with an inexplicable gaze, a smile on his face: "I've found… you!"
...In space.
Soundwave opened his eyes, a hint of killing intent showing.
"Decepticons… attack!"
The next moment, eight metal drop pods, like meteors, dragged clear, bright trails as they streaked across low Earth orbit, plummeting directly towards Washington State!