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When Lennox saw the arriving army, he quickly trotted over to meet them.

The soldiers were startled at the sight of Lennox , dressed in a gray, dust-covered uniform, his hair and eyebrows singed as if he had barely escaped a blazing inferno.

"There's a survivor here!" one of the soldiers exclaimed in surprise.

Recognizing Lennox's military uniform, they were overjoyed and hurried to assist him. Some of them immediately ran off to alert the general, who was still communicating with the White House.

"What?" The general, startled by the report, turned back to the communicator. "Hold on. I've just been informed we have a survivor."

Keeping the communicator active, he rushed over to Lennox and asked eagerly, "Soldier, what is your name? What happened here?"

"Sir, my name is Lennox. I'm the captain of a special operations squad recently reassigned from the Army to Sector 7," Lennox introduced himself crisply. 

He then launched into an explanation: "Aliens attacked the base in Sector 7. They call themselves Decepticons and Autobots. The Decepticons were the aggressors, but the Autobots—along with Batman, cyborg, and their team—came to our aid. They saved us."

The general stood frozen for a moment, processing this flood of information. He muttered under his breath, repeating the names: "Decepticons, Autobots... Batman, cyborg…"

On the other end of the communicator, the President, Tom, and Keller listened intently, their expressions grim.

"NBE-ONE… and the Allspark," the President interjected, his voice tense. "What happened to them?"

Lennox replied without hesitation, "NBE-ONE was the leader of the Decepticons—Megatron. He was killed by cyborg."

He added, "As for the weapon that defeated him, it was the Allspark. But it was destroyed during the battle."

The general sighed with regret. "A pity," he muttered. Then he asked, "What about the others? Are there any other survivors?"

Lennox thought for a moment before replying. "They should have escaped through the emergency evacuation exits a few kilometers away. We bought them enough time to flee."

Pausing, Lennox hesitated, then added, "By the way, while the Decepticons are dead, some of their remains might still be buried under the rubble."

The general's eyes narrowed at the mention of the remains, and the politicians on the other end of the communicator exchanged intrigued glances. A glimmer of opportunity flashed in their eyes.

Although the base had been lost, recovering alien remains could prove valuable.

Tom and Keller exchanged a knowing look, silently wondering if Batman had deliberately left the remains for them to find. 

If so, his calculated planning was nothing short of extraordinary. Even if it wasn't deliberate, no one would dare underestimate him.

The President, seizing on this potential asset, issued an order: "Recover whatever you can. Search the ruins and retrieve the remains of the Transformers."

"Understood," the general responded crisply. Turning to his men, he barked, "Get a team into the ruins. I want everything of value dug out. Also, send search parties to the escape routes to locate any survivors who evacuated earlier."

He then turned back to Lennox. "Do you know where the escape exits are?"

"Yes, sir," Lennox replied firmly. "I'll lead them there."

The general gave an approving nod, clapping Lennox on the shoulder. "Good work, soldier. I'm counting on you."

A distant galaxy, inside the technodrome.

The Autobots found themselves in a vast space teeming with advanced technology. Surrounded by towering machinery, shimmering energy fields, and intricate systems, they gazed in awe at their futuristic surroundings.

Their expressions reflected pure astonishment as they took in the sight of the war fortress, a marvel of engineering far beyond anything they had encountered before.

Before meeting Batman in person, the Autobots had already gathered information about him. They were also aware of the recent alien invasion in New York and speculated that the weapon involved in the attack might have been used for Earth's defense.

"It's called a technodrome. We went through considerable effort to wrest control of it from its former commander,"Anton explained calmly, noticing the Autobots' curiosity.

"Batman, the Autobots will always remember your help. You will forever be a friend to us," Optimus Prime said with a tone of gratitude.

Anton waved dismissively. "Enough of the pleasantries. Once you provide me with the coordinates of Cybertron, I'll teleport you back there. As for the Allspark, Optimus Prime, I will equip you with a special teleporter. It will allow the Allspark's energy to travel through time and space to Cybertron at the coordinates you set. In theory, it can reach any corner of your planet."

He added firmly, "However, as we agreed earlier, the ownership of the Allspark remains mine. You'll only have the right to use it."

Optimus Prime nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

Hearing this exchange, the other Autobots—Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet—were visibly stunned.

"The Allspark?" Ironhide muttered in disbelief. "I thought it was destroyed!"

Bumblebee leaned in and whispered, "It's not that simple. I'll explain later."

Meanwhile, cyborg took out a small teleporter and carefully installed it in Optimus Prime's palm.

"I'll integrate the Allspark into the energy output core of the technodrome. From there, you can draw its power whenever needed," he explained.

Anton turned back to Optimus Prime. "According to our records, the planet Cybertron is located in the Centauri galaxy, orbiting Alpha Centauri. Please confirm."

Optimus Prime nodded. "That's correct. Those are the coordinates of Cybertron."

"Good," Anton said with a slight smile. "I wish you a smooth journey. If I need assistance in the future, I'll contact you."

Optimus Prime replied with unwavering sincerity. "Whatever you need, the Autobots will do our best to assist you."

As the conversation concluded, cyborg activated the teleportation device. The Autobots felt a sudden weightlessness as a glowing portal opened above them. 

Within moments, they were pulled through the gateway and disappeared from the war fortress.

Now, only Batman and cyborg remained in the massive ship. They exchanged a glance before cyborg's figure vanished. 

Anton then deactivated his Batman persona, reverting to his original appearance.

He took a deep breath and opened his system panel to review the rewards.

[Mission Complete: Frustrate the Decepticons, kill Megatron. Reward: 10 million justice points.]

[Current Justice Points Balance: 30 million.]

Anton grinned broadly. "What a haul!"

Not only had he earned a massive amount of justice points, but he had also acquired the Autobots' most treasured artifact—the Allspark. The Allspark, capable of transforming any machine into a sentient being, was an extraordinary asset.

This was, without a doubt, a resounding victory.

However, Anton had no intention of using the Allspark to transform his technodrome, Batmobile, or other weapons and equipment into mechanical lifeforms. 

Mechanical beings have autonomy, making them unpredictable and, to some extent, uncontrollable.

Even though such transformations could enhance combat effectiveness, they would also introduce unnecessary risks and limitations. In Anton's view, the potential downsides far outweighed the benefits.

The Autobots' need for the Allspark stemmed from the depletion of Cybertron's resources following its loss. Without the Allspark, Cybertron was rendered uninhabitable, forcing its inhabitants to flee in search of a way to replenish their planet's energy reserves. 

Reclaiming the Allspark offered a chance to restore those resources and rebuild their world.

This is the core truth behind the Transformers' quest for the Allspark—it's their key to survival and renewal.

From Megatron's perspective, however, Optimus Prime's intent to use the Allspark against him and potentially destroy it was seen as an act of betrayal against Cybertron and the Transformers themselves.

….

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