Riding in one of the army vehicles, Lennox tensed as an exotic sports car suddenly appeared in the passing lane and accelerated to slide in beside the Camaro.
He relaxed when one of its side-view mirrors twisted up and around to flash him a sculpted Italian-designed equivalent of an automotive wave. Any other time, any other day, such a sight would have caused him to question his own sanity. Not this afternoon, however. Not after everything that had transpired this morning. Back inside the dam the kid had mumbled something about other robots, about the Camaro he called Bumblebee having friends who might well come looking for him. Evidently, this sports car was one of them.
The captain wondered what it would look like transformed into its natural state. As a car, it was pretty sleek. It was not alone. Other escorts soon made their appearance. Expecting more cars, Lennox was surprised when the sports car dropped back behind the Camaro to allow an emergency vehicle to take up a flanking position.
He might have anticipated the tricked-out black GMC pickup that showed up next, but the blaring eighteen-wheeler that rolled in behind the entire convoy constituted still another surprise. Oh well, he told himself.
Every robot to its favorite bilocation. When he and his wife went out for an evening she was pretty surprised at some of the things he chose to wear, too. They had reached the outskirts of the city when a new disturbance drew his attention. There was trouble on the highway behind them. His fingers tensed on his weapon as he rose and waved an arm, raising the alarm.
Decepticons that headed off together to intercept the Autobots and their human allies who had the AllSpark in their possession.
Brawl wandered off somewhere, so Bonecrusher and Barricade continued their pursuit on the freeway. Barricade activated his sirens to clear the traffic and allow them more maneuvering room.
The sirens blared and red and blue lights flashed atop the police cruiser that was actually the Decepticon Barricade. The hypnotic whirl of lights carved a path through the unsuspecting civilian traffic, scattering cars like leaves before a storm. But not every vehicle was quick enough to get out of the way.
From behind, Bonecrusher was impatient he used his tail claw as one by one, slow-moving vehicles were snatched up, their metal frames crumpling like paper as they were flung aside, their occupants screaming in terror.
Impatient with Barricade's subtlety, Bonecrusher reveled in the chaos, relishing the sight of cars flipping through the air, each crash echoing his disdain for anything in his path. The humans inside were inconsequential, mere insects beneath his colossal might and singular focus.
From his car, Alexander shouted, his voice cutting through the cacophony. "They're coming! The cop car is one of them!"
Lennox, Epps, and their team quickly recognized the threat and braced for confrontation.
The Autobots sprang into action. Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Ratchet positioned themselves protectively around Bumblebee, who held the precious AllSpark and shielded the human allies.
As Barricade veered to the roadside, Bonecrusher transformed with a violent grace, his massive form shifting seamlessly as he skated toward the Autobots. He crashed through vehicles, metal shrieking and glass shattering. The cries of trapped humans were lost amidst the din, ignored by the Decepticons as irrelevant noise.
Alexander's eyes widened as he saw Bonecrusher barreling towards them, a juggernaut of metal and rage. So leaned out the window and instinctively, his armor responded—his helmet and gauntlets materialized around him in a sleek, fluid motion. The heads-up display (HUD) on his visor flickered to life, immediately switching to a schematic overlay of the oncoming Decepticon. Targeting data and diagnostic readings scrolled across the screen, pinpointing the weak spot in Bonecrusher's chest.
A panel on Alexander's gauntlet slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a compact mini-missile pod. His mind raced—he knew he couldn't unleash too much firepower here. The location was too precarious, too close to the others. Precision was key.
Without hesitation, Alexander locked onto the weak spot, his HUD confirming the target. He fired, and the missile streaked through the air with a sharp whistle, zeroing in on its mark. The explosive tip slammed into Bonecrusher's chest with pinpoint accuracy.
Bonecrusher barely registered the hit, dismissing it as a mere nuisance. But then, deep within the Decepticon's chest, a chain reaction ignited. Energy conduits ruptured, and an explosion ripped through his frame, sending him reeling backward in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.
Bonecrusher staggered, his massive form swaying as he struggled to maintain balance. The blast had weakened him, but it wasn't enough to take him down completely. He roared in defiance, the sound echoing like a thunderclap, his fury undiminished despite the damage.
Optimus Prime, sensing the chance to take out one of Decepticons heavy hitters, transformed and charged to intercept. The two giants clashed with bone-rattling force, the impact sending shockwaves through the overpass. Bonecrusher, seething with hatred for Optimus, smashed through a bus, grappling with the Autobot leader as they tumbled off the edge, locked in a deadly embrace.
They crashed to the ground below with a thunderous impact. Bonecrusher landed a brutal punch on Optimus, but the Autobot leader retaliated, striking with such force that one of Bonecrusher's optics popped free. Nearby, a wide-eyed child in an SUV watched, captivated by the battle unfolding before them.
The two titans danced a deadly ballet of blows across the overpasses. Optimus, seeing an opening, leapt to the ground level, pursued by a half-blind, enraged Bonecrusher. The Decepticon swung wildly with his tail claw, each strike barely missing its mark.
Optimus ducked behind a support pole, drawing his Energon Sword with a fluid motion. With precision and power, he cleaved through Bonecrusher's right arm and drove the blade through the Decepticon's neck, nearly severing it. In a final, decisive move, Optimus wrenched Bonecrusher's head from his body, tossing it aside with grim determination.
The battle was over, but the echoes of destruction lingered in the air, a testament to the unyielding resolve of the Autobots and the chaos unleashed by their foes.
Maggie cabinet with her shoulder, leaning all her weight into it to keep it wedged against the badly damaged door. She was joined in the effort by Keller and Simmons. Behind them, a preoccupied Glen was leaning toward one of the jury-rigged computer's speakers. An electronic stutter suddenly made itself known above the lowlevel static.
"They're responding!" he yelled excitedly to his companions. He met Keller's gaze. "They've accepted your authorization code!"
The secretary's spirits soared. "Call in the strike! Tell them what's happened here, put it in your own words, but tell them what to look for in the immediate area and to respond accordingly!"
Just then Frenzy skittered through the narrow air ducts above, the metallic clatter of his movements echoing ominously.
Simmons and Keller, senses heightened by the imminent danger, Halting, they listened intently, then raised the Mossberg and fired upward. The blasts reverberating through the room as they hoped desperately to strike the elusive Decepticon.
A section of ceiling came crashing down, Without warning, Frenzy dropped into the room, dropping from the ducts with a metallic clank. His eyes gleamed with malice, and the situation turned dire.
"Take cover!" Simmons shouted as he, Keller, Maggie, and the technician scrambled for safety behind a sturdy desk.
Amidst the chaos, the technician continued his urgent task, fingers tapping feverishly on the keyboard, eyes flicking between the screen and the air vents, praying for a response from the Air Force.
Frenzy took advantage of the chaos, darting behind a pillar with mechanical precision and readying his weapons for another assault.
Maggie caught sight of the Decepticon's movement and shouted, "He's behind the pillar!"
Realizing he'd been spotted, Frenzy unleashed a storm of gunfire from the machine guns embedded in his arms. The air was filled with the deafening roar of bullets, which tore through the room, embedding in walls and ricocheting off metal surfaces. Sparks flew, and the room transformed into a deadly hailstorm of destruction.
The humans huddled behind the desk, flinching at each impact and trying to anticipate Frenzy's next move. The situation intensified as Frenzy launched a volley of flying discs that embedded themselves into the walls, adding another layer of chaos to the unfolding battle.
Keller took a breath, steadying himself as he prepared to retaliate. "Cover me," he shouted, nodding to Maggie. She nodded back and fired the shotgun in Frenzy's direction, providing cover as Keller maneuvered around, squeezing off a couple of well-aimed shots. One of the shots struck Frenzy, injuring him slightly and forcing him to retreat behind the pillar.
But Keller was relentless, continuing to fire his shotgun, determined to keep the pressure on the Decepticon. Meanwhile, Simmons spotted an opportunity and, using a cart as cover, positioned his flamethrower on top. He unleashed a torrent of flames toward Frenzy's position.
Displaying reflexes no human could match, Frenzy dodged the gout of flame and retaliated with another disc. It zipped through the air with lethal intent, but Keller, moving with instinctual precision, narrowly dodged it as it ricocheted wildly around the room. Most of the discs embedded themselves in equipment, but one ricocheted several times before curving back toward Maggie.
Maggie, ready this time, ducked, the disc whizzing past her harmlessly. It continued its deadly arc, heading toward Simmons, who twitched aside at the last possible instant. The disc sliced away a small part of his cap but left him unscathed.
In an ironic twist of fate, the disc, having missed its intended target, curved back toward Frenzy. With a final, devastating sweep, it cleanly decapitated the machine from which it had been launched.
Frenzy annoyed mutters."Oh shit."
Frenzy's head hit the floor with a metallic clang, and his multi-limbed body swiftly crumpled, lifeless.
Technician seeing the response on the terminal in joy yelled."The Airforce is responding, they are sending their F-22's to the city."