The Dodge police car screeched to a halt, its frame shifting and contorting until it stood as a powerful robotic warrior, another member of the formidable Rider Clan. He turned to the stunned middle-aged man on the ground. "Human, find a safe place to hide, now!"
"Right!" the man stammered, scrambling to his feet and limping away as fast as his injured leg would allow.
The downed Decepticon struggled back to its feet, its optical sensors glaring at the newcomer. "Are you an Autobot? I've never seen you before!"
"Remember my name. I am Clear Wind," the Rider declared. He drew twin halberds from compartments on his back and charged toward his enemy without hesitation.
The Decepticon sneered, raising its arm-mounted machine gun and unleashing a torrent of fire. To its shock, Clear Wind didn't even attempt to dodge. The barrage of bullets sparked and ricocheted harmlessly off his armored plating, not even leaving a scratch on his polished finish. Before the Decepticon could process this, Clear Wind was upon it. He thrust his double halberds forward, impaling the machine, then violently pulled them apart. The Decepticon soldier was ripped asunder, spilling a torrent of shimmering Energon and vital fluids onto the asphalt.
As the first warriors created by Amon, the bodies of the Rider Clan were all reinforced with a vibranium alloy, and their weapons were forged from pure adamantium. These materials had been discreetly "acquired" by Amon and his team from various military stockpiles and Wakandan sources.
Similar scenes were unfolding all across Manhattan. Every member of the original Rider Clan was an elite combatant. Against ordinary Decepticon soldiers, it was a slaughter. Only the core members of Megatron's inner circle could offer any meaningful resistance.
At that moment, a military transport plane soared over the city. Looking down at the chaos below, Optimus Prime turned to Ironhide and Ratchet behind him. "The Decepticons are tearing this city apart. Humanity needs our help. Autobots, roll out!"
With that, Optimus Prime led the charge, leaping from the cargo bay. Ironhide and the others followed close behind. Jazz remained with the transport, tasked with the vital mission of protecting the Allspark.
Before Optimus and his team even touched the ground, a blinding beam of energy erupted from the nearby Stark Tower. A battered, smoking steel figure was violently ejected from the blast, staggering away as the energy subsided.
"It's Megatron!" Optimus recognized the ravaged form instantly. After millennia of war, he could identify his nemesis even if he were reduced to ash. Hitting the ground with a thunderous impact, Optimus immediately began running toward Megatron's position.
Half of Megatron's body was a mangled wreck. He had been chasing Jarvis and had positioned himself directly above the building's massive Arc Reactor. The resulting energy overload from the trap had detonated directly beneath him, blowing him clear out of the tower. Only now did Megatron realize he had been lured into a trap set by that strange red Transformer.
"Damn that red Transformer! Damn these humans!" Megatron roared in fury, his rage boiling over.
Starscream, noticeably unscathed, landed beside Megatron. "Lord Megatron, Optimus Prime and his forces have arrived. Our objective has been met. The Autobots have been drawn out, and Bonecrusher has secured the Allspark. There is no reason to waste more time here, and the tactical situation is no longer in our favor."
Megatron narrowed his optics, his gaze falling on Starscream. His second-in-command was pristine, having clearly sensed the impending explosion and fled just in time, only pretending to fight. Choosing not to expose Starscream's cowardice at that moment, Megatron gruffly agreed. "Fine. We will retrieve the Allspark now!"
With that, Megatron was the first to transform, his usually fearsome jet form now looking broken and patched. Starscream quickly followed suit, and the two Decepticons streaked away toward their rendezvous point with Bonecrusher.
Tony flew out of the damaged building and hovered next to Jarvis, whose own form was heavily damaged. However, the damaged components were already beginning to slowly self-repair. "Sir, they're getting away!" Jarvis reported.
"Of course they ran," Tony said with a boastful smirk. "They were clearly terrified by the genius of Tony Stark and didn't dare stick around."
Just then, Optimus Prime rushed over. Tony couldn't resist a quip. "You're a little slow, Optimus. I already drove the bad guys off!"
"Gone?" Optimus was perplexed. While the blast had certainly damaged Megatron, it shouldn't have been enough to cripple his combat ability. It was completely out of character for Megatron to retreat so easily.
Jarvis's optical sensors flickered as he connected to his external subsystems. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, his tone turning serious. "Sir, Optimus Prime, I have lost contact with the subsystem I left at the testing site. It appears we have fallen into a diversionary trap!"
"What!" Tony and Optimus exclaimed in unison.
The implications hit Optimus in an instant. "Something's happened at the lab," he said, his voice laced with urgency. "Their target was the Allspark there all along. Jazz is still there, he—" Optimus trailed off, but Tony understood the unspoken fear. Jazz might be in serious danger.
Tony's mind raced. "Jarvis, get back to the testing site immediately and assess the situation. Optimus and I will go after Megatron. I hope we can still catch them in time!"
"Yes, sir," Jarvis confirmed. His physical form dissolved into a stream of data that flowed through Tony's suit and back to a substation near the lab.
"This is our only option," Optimus said, his own mind struggling to find a better solution.
Tony shot high into the sky, ready to pursue Megatron and Starscream, but he hesitated as his eyes scanned the city below. The destruction was immense. Decepticon soldiers who hadn't retreated with Megatron were still rampaging through the streets. Tony saw himself as a big-picture guy, but he couldn't bring himself to simply ignore the ongoing carnage.
Optimus noticed Tony's hesitation and understood immediately. "Tony, you don't need to worry about the Decepticons in Manhattan. Bumblebee informed me he encountered a faction calling themselves the Rider Clan. He learned there are more than a dozen of their powerful warriors cleaning up the remaining Decepticons. With their strength, they should be able to end the destruction soon."
Optimus's words were a relief to Tony. He gave the Autobot leader a firm nod, then accelerated, streaking after the distant figures of Megatron and Starscream. With a deafening sequence of grinding metal and hissing hydraulics, Optimus Prime transformed back into his powerful truck form and sped after Tony, determined to intercept his nemesis.
Rewind to just over ten minutes earlier. All Autobots except for Jazz, who was guarding the experimental site, had departed for Manhattan. The Hydra agents masquerading as SHIELD personnel, who had maintained a patient vigil near Tony's lab, watched the last of the Autobots depart. One of them keyed their comms.
"Command, the guardians have left the post. We are clear to begin the operation."
"Excellent. Stand by and await further orders."
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