A certain U.S. military base.
Starscream, disguised as an F-22 Raptor fighter jet with an empty cockpit, stood silently on the tarmac.
Suddenly, the instrument panel within the fighter awakened.
"Barricade!" Starscream exclaimed, a sense of foreboding creeping into his circuits.
As Megatron's adjutant and the commander of the Decepticon air raid force, Starscream held authority in Megatron's absence, acting as the leader of the Decepticons on Earth. Every Decepticon present on the planet reported to him and followed his commands.
But now, Starscream had made a startling discovery: he had lost contact with Barricade. Worse still, the signal from another Decepticon, Frenzy, had also vanished within half a minute of losing Barricade.
Starscream's mind raced. He had dispatched Barricade on a critical mission to track down the AllSpark. For the signal to disappear so abruptly, it couldn't have been intentional on Barricade's part. Something—or someone—had interfered.
"An accident? No... this is an attack! Autobots?" Starscream growled.
Acting quickly, he contacted the nearest Decepticon operative to Barricade's last known location: Bonecrusher.
"What's the situation?" Starscream demanded.
Bonecrusher responded in his usual flat, indifferent tone. He never cared much for authority. Among the Decepticons, most were power-hungry, ambitious, or chaotic. Bonecrusher was different.
Twisted and cruel at heart, he hated everyone indiscriminately and thrived on destruction.
Some would call him the Decepticons' "loose cannon." He respected neither Starscream nor Megatron, and even dared to challenge Optimus Prime head-on.
Bonecrusher didn't join the Decepticons out of loyalty; he did so because he feared being crushed by Megatron.
It's worth noting that Bonecrusher's appearances in the movies are brief but memorable. His most notable moment involves his fierce pursuit of Bumblebee, followed by his ill-fated decision to face Optimus Prime alone.
That encounter ended swiftly—Optimus dispatched him with brutal efficiency.
"Something's happened to Barricade," Starscream explained evenly, careful not to provoke Bonecrusher's volatile personality.
He knew well the Decepticons were an uneasy alliance at best. Distrust ran deep, and most members harbored ulterior motives.
"Oh?" Bonecrusher replied, his tone tinged with interest.
"That stupid Barricade actually managed to roll over to death on Earth?" Bonecrusher sneered, his words dripping with disdain. "I'm not surprised in the slightest."
Starscream ignored his mocking tone and continued, "You go check it out. I'll send you the last known location where he disappeared."
"Got it," Bonecrusher replied curtly before cutting off the communication.
Moments later, an armored vehicle pulled out of the parking lot of the Los Angeles Police Department. If one were to observe closely, they'd notice something unsettling about the driver: the man's face was completely expressionless, like a puppet under someone else's control.
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
Bumblebee hesitated for a moment after hearing Batman's question. "Wait a minute," he said, seemingly communicating with someone. Finally, he spoke, "Optimus Prime will be here soon."
After delivering this news, Bumblebee glanced around. "But are you sure you want to discuss this here?"
Batman turned to look at Keller and the others behind him. "We'll need a more secure location," he said.
Tom, who had reviewed the area's map before the mission, suggested, "There's a junkyard nearby. It's secluded and should work perfectly."
Once the decision was made, he turned to Simmons and issued instructions: "Take care of the aftermath. Confiscate everyone's phones and cameras, have them sign non-disclosure agreements, delete any surveillance footage, and make sure no information leaks. Seal this off."
"Understood," Simmons replied, nodding.
Bumblebee transformed back into his car form, and the group set off toward the junkyard. Meanwhile, Sam, who had been standing quietly to the side, was taken into custody by Sector 7 agents.
Sam's parents stood in their doorway, utterly bewildered by the events unfolding around them.
"Uh, sir," Sam's father asked Simmons nervously, "is my son... is he going to jail?"
"If your son is cooperative, then no, he won't," Simmons replied, adding, "This matter doesn't directly involve him, but there are some things we need to clarify with him."
Sam's father visibly relaxed, nodding quickly. "Oh, I see! No one's more cooperative than my boy. He's the most honest kid you'll meet—totally guilt-free."
"Yes, Sam is the most timid boy I've ever seen," Sam's mother chimed in. But after a pause, she seemed to second-guess her own words and added, "Well, except in critical moments—then he's surprisingly brave."
"Like when he lifted some little girl's skirt when he was three?" Sam's father quipped, laughing as if reliving a fond memory.
Simmons blinked in disbelief at the conversation. Still, he offered a polite reassurance, though he hadn't expected Sam's parents to relax so quickly.
The junkyard, situated along the Los Angeles River near a dock, wasn't far from Sam's neighborhood. The area served as a disposal site for abandoned vehicles not just from Los Angeles but from neighboring cities as well.
When Anton and the others arrived, Sam was already being questioned by Sector 7 agents. The rest of the group stood nearby, whispering amongst themselves.
"That Camaro... it's really an Autobot?" one of them murmured, staring in awe at Bumblebee, now back in vehicle form.
"Most of our modern technology is extracted from them... It's truly incredible," one agent remarked.
"The big guy in the base came to Earth thousands of years ago. These aliens had already mastered such advanced technology back then! It's terrifying!" another added, their tone filled with awe.
The agents' faces betrayed their shock and amazement, unaware that their entire conversation was being overheard by Bumblebee.
"Big guy in the base?" Bumblebee mused to himself.
As an Autobot specialized in espionage and strategic reconnaissance, Bumblebee often played the part of the goofy, unassuming one. But his true abilities were far from simple. His sharp mind quickly pieced together a theory.
He reflected on the strange and detailed knowledge Batman and his team seemed to possess. How did they know so much about Cybertron, the Autobots, and the Decepticons? Even the name Optimus Prime—how could they possibly know that?
The source of their intelligence was baffling. But after careful consideration, Bumblebee arrived at a single, unsettling conclusion.
Megatron.
Megatron, who had arrived on Earth thousands of years ago, must now be under the control of the humans.
Eliminating all other possibilities left only one truth.
Though Bumblebee couldn't confirm it, his deduction was disturbingly accurate.
A subtle wave of anxiety washed over him.
The situation on Earth might be far more complicated—and dangerous—than they had originally anticipated.
….
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