Amid the hum and click of advanced machinery, the components of the Mark IV armor assembled themselves around Tony. JARVIS then came before him, his own metallic form dissolving and flowing over the new suit, enveloping it in a second, sleeker layer of armor. In an instant, both Tony and JARVIS transformed into a shimmering stream of data and vanished from the laboratory.
Inside Manhattan's Stark Tower, Pepper Potts was bound to a chair, a captive under the menacing watch of Megatron and Starscream. Megatron's voice, a low, hoarse growl, scraped the air. "Woman, you had better be as important to that man named Tony Stark as we believe. You must be able to lure him and his Autobot pets here. Otherwise, he will have no other choice but to collect your corpse."
Pepper, her mouth stuffed with a rough cloth, struggled against her bonds, her body shaking vigorously in a desperate show of resistance.
Suddenly, the air around her seemed to shimmer, and strings of pure data began to flow and coalesce. A moment later, Tony, clad in his layered Iron Man armor, materialized before her. As soon as he appeared, JARVIS separated from the main suit, launching himself toward Megatron and Starscream, while Tony rushed to Pepper, freeing her from her restraints and flying away. Propelled by the powerful thrusters, the two of them quickly left Stark Tower and landed on the roof of a nearby building, a temporary island of calm where there were no Decepticons.
The Iron Man armor's mask retracted, revealing Tony's concerned face. "Pepper, are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency.
Pepper, now free, swayed on her feet, still a little dizzy from the ordeal. "Tony, I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky. "They haven't done anything to me yet."
"I'm so glad you're okay," Tony breathed, a wave of relief washing over him. "I'll take you to a safe place first. I'm certain it will be secure there." Before Pepper could say another word, Tony picked her up again and sent them soaring into the sky.
"Ah!" Pepper screamed, the sudden ascent taking her by surprise.
Soon, Tony and Pepper arrived at a place that felt strangely familiar to both of them.
"This is the Unique Dance Hall," Pepper said, confused. "Why are we here?"
Tony explained, "This is the safest place I can think of in all of New York. The people inside will definitely ensure your safety. Have you noticed? There isn't a single Decepticon anywhere near here." This place was not far from Stark Tower. Decepticons were rampaging and destroying other parts of the city, but this entire block remained untouched.
"What's a Decepticon?" Pepper didn't know that it was the Decepticons who had kidnapped her, nor did she have any idea what had happened since. She had been taken from the very beginning and was completely unaware of the chaos unfolding outside.
"Uh," Tony realized his mistake. "Don't worry about that. Just know that other places are dangerous, but this place is safe." After saying this, he continued, "You stay here. I have things to do."
"Tony, what are you doing? Isn't it safe here? Why are you leaving?" Pepper called out as he turned to go.
Tony turned back and said, "Pepper, Stark Tower is now occupied by aliens. And although I am no longer the CEO of Stark Industries, I am still its owner. I can't just let it be destroyed."
Pepper was deeply conflicted. She didn't want Tony to take any more risks, but she also knew that she could never persuade her stubborn, willful boss. She walked forward, stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around Tony's neck, and pressed her pale lips against his. "Come back safely," she whispered. "You are more important than Stark Industries."
Tony laughed, a flash of his usual bravado returning. "Of course. If this were a movie, I would definitely be the protagonist. And what could possibly happen to the protagonist?" Before he could finish his sentence, he soared into the sky and flew back toward Stark Tower.
Pepper watched him go, her heart filled with a mixture of fear and hope.
"Wow, don't you know you can't make a confession before a big battle? Something is bound to happen if you make a promise like that!" a teasing voice said from behind her. Pepper turned and saw it was Klein, the mysterious man she had met before.
Pepper greeted him politely. "Hello, Mr. Moretti. I was busy and couldn't get away before. Thank you so much for finding Tony."
Klein waved his hand and said with a smile, "It was a small matter. According to our agreement, we will be cooperating with Stark Industries. Tony Stark is an indispensable part of that."
Pepper nodded. "Tony and I will come to fulfill the agreement later."
Tony flew quickly toward Stark Tower. When he saw the Decepticons wreaking havoc in the city below, he launched his special paralytic missiles to disable them. He did not waste too much time on the periphery; he understood the principle of capturing the leader first, and he was very worried about JARVIS's situation.
"JARVIS, are you okay over there?" JARVIS was connected to his armor, and Tony could communicate with him at any time.
"Sir, the situation here is very grim," JARVIS's voice came through the armor's comms. "Although I am more mobile than they are, I don't possess any effective means to defeat them. It is difficult to cause any significant damage. I may not be able to stop them for much longer."
"JARVIS, hold on for a while. I'll find a solution." Tony quickly searched his mind for a solution to the problem. The weapons mounted on his own armor were not as destructive as JARVIS's integrated systems, so simply joining the fight would not be of any effective help. "Powerful destructive weapons, powerful destructive weapons... where can we find them?"
Suddenly, Tony saw the energy reserves on his armor's display screen: 93%. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "We can use the large Ark reactor. We just need to lure them into the air above it and then detonate it. JARVIS, did you hear me? Find a way to keep them directly above the large Ark reactor. I'll find a chance to detonate it. I've modified the reactor's structure before; I can guide the explosive energy completely upward. It will be more than enough to blow them to pieces."
"Understood, sir. I will do my best to lead them over. I hope you can be ready soon," JARVIS's voice replied.
Tony quickly arrived inside the Stark Industries building. He deliberately avoided JARVIS, Megatron, and the others who were fighting outside, and quietly made his way to the chamber beneath the large arc reactor. Tony, who was intimately familiar with the reactor, quickly began to modify it. After a few moments, he had assembled a simple excitation device, which could instantly overload the Ark reactor and cause a violent, focused explosion.
"JARVIS, I'm ready here. How about you?" Tony asked.
"Sir, I'm almost there. Just give me a little more time."
At the same time, on the streets of Manhattan, a yellow Chevrolet Camaro was driving at high speed, with Sam sitting inside. Optimus Prime had given Bumblebee the task of investigating the new Transformer race, a mission Bumblebee had, of course, accepted. However, just as he was about to begin, he had been stopped by Sam, who insisted on following him. Bumblebee, having no other choice, had taken Sam with him.
"Sam, there are Decepticons ahead," Bumblebee's voice now came clearly from the car's speakers; his speech module had been repaired by Ratchet. "I'll stop them. You find a safe place to hide."
"Okay!" Sam agreed immediately.
The entire body of the Camaro bounced up, transforming in mid-air. Bumblebee caught the flying Sam with one hand and gently placed him on the side of the road, out of harm's way.
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