"All for Cybertron."
That passionate declaration caused the Decepticons who were currently battling Optimus Prime to halt their attacks, raising their arms and shouting in unison, "For Cybertron!"
These leaderless Decepticons, hounded by powerful anti-transformer armor and relentless American strikes, were in a state of confusion and desperation. The idea of Nemesis Prime stepping up to lead them was no longer so objectionable.
Some Decepticons who had learned from Soundwave about the secret agreement between Nemesis Prime and Megatron believed that if it hadn't been for the treacherous Starscream's ambush of Nemesis Prime's ship, the war on Cybertron might have ended long ago. Instead, they were left scattered and hunted, hiding from humans like a shattered, disorganized force.
Optimus tossed aside the fallen Decepticon he had just defeated and looked with dread at the fanatical Decepticons around him.
He hadn't expected things to unfold exactly as William had warned. Nemesis Prime had long since betrayed his ideals—what else could explain him calling for peace "for Cybertron" the moment he awakened?
Recalling the promise he made to William, Optimus activated his arm blade and charged straight toward Nemesis Prime.
Bursting into the hangar, he found Nemesis Prime wielding his sword and shield, slaughtering humans and destroying fighter jets left and right.
"Stop, Nemesis Prime!"
"Optimus," Nemesis Prime paused, still wary, and said, "Join me, my disciple… my friend. Just like we once fought side by side on Cybertron. Let's conquer this planet together and rebuild Cybertron."
"Even if we must rebuild Cybertron, there are other ways. Cooperating with the untrustworthy Decepticons is no different than bargaining with a tiger," Optimus pleaded. "Humans are our best allies."
"Humans?" Nemesis Prime snorted coldly. "Still so naïve. On Cybertron, we were gods. And here, what do they call me?"
He pointed his sword at the trembling American personnel nearby and roared, "They call us machines! No matter how much we cooperate, they see us only as invaders, as treasure troves, as pitiful creatures who destroyed their own home in endless civil war.
But things are different now. From the moment I became leader of the Decepticons, there is no longer Autobot or Decepticon—only Cybertronians."
"No! Cybertron is gone. I can't let you destroy Earth too," Optimus raised his blade. "If I must kill you to stop this, then so be it."
Nemesis Prime chuckled. "You can't kill me, Optimus."
As he finished speaking, the ground began to shake.
"Driller?"
Optimus's expression darkened at the thought of the enormous tunneling Decepticon, and of Shockwave—Megatron's cold, mysterious second-in-command.
Between Nemesis Prime, Shockwave, and the remaining dozen Decepticons outside, they didn't stand a chance in a full-scale battle. "Autobots, retreat!"
"Let them go," Nemesis Prime commanded, stopping the Decepticons who wanted to pursue. Then he looked to the ground. "Come forth, Shockwave."
A powerful tremor rose from below, and a massive, jagged drill burst from the earth.
As the dust cleared, Shockwave stood atop the Driller, bowing. "Lord Nemesis Prime, what are your orders?"
"I need a secure location to activate a small space bridge to Cybertron. Your task is to spread word to the Decepticons there that I am the new leader and to prepare forces to descend upon Earth. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Nemesis Prime."
"Excellent."
Though uncertain whether the upper echelons of the Decepticons would betray him in the future, Nemesis Prime understood that as long as he could save Cybertron, most Decepticons—and even some Autobots—would see him as a savior. With the support of the majority, he wasn't concerned about the minority with differing views.
With four space bridge energy pylons and the central control pillar, and under escort by over a dozen Decepticons, he headed straight for downtown New York.
Why they thought the city center was the safest location was unclear. Maybe they intended to use civilians as hostages? But if things got truly dire, the Americans wouldn't hesitate to destroy their own city—it wouldn't be the first time.
As soon as Nemesis Prime and his group left, Ross, who had been hiding in the same base, immediately commandeered an intact helicopter and rushed back to his own base.
Once there, he issued orders to the units he had previously positioned—to enter New York and attack any visible Decepticons.
After a few minutes of reporting in and detailing his preparations, he received full authorization.
Four F-16s were scrambled as the first wave of strikes.
The second wave consisted of twelve Black Hawks carrying seventy-two fully armed soldiers, heading into the city both as reconnaissance eyes and to find the right moment to eliminate Nemesis Prime.
As for ground troops, it would take at least a couple hours before they could truly reach the inner city.
Thinking about this, Ross turned to his assistant and asked, "Any progress on replicating Banner's serum? And what's Blonsky up to?"
"We can only dilute it at this point. Replication will take time. As for Blonsky…"
The assistant hesitated for several seconds before saying, "He's been fixated on Banner's serum. He's mentioned no less than ten times that he wants to inject it."
"Sir! Sir!" someone in the command center interrupted urgently. "The four jets we deployed have encountered hostiles. T-the enemies are also F-16s!"
The screen immediately lit up with four blue markers and two red enemy indicators. Within seconds, Ross deduced that those two enemy aircraft were actually Decepticons. He shouted to the communications officer, "Deploy the remaining twelve fighters! The mission is simple—blow up those damn energy pillars and destroy Nemesis Prime!"
But by the time the second wave of jets took off, Nemesis Prime had already activated the space bridge on the rooftop of the Gould Building.
In an instant, four beams of light shot into the sky, connecting with Cybertron in seconds. "I am Nemesis Prime, the last surviving Prime of Cybertron. All Transformers, I summon you to Earth—to fight for me, and for Cybertron."
With Shockwave echoing his call, Decepticons enthusiastically poured through the space bridge. In no time, more and more Decepticons began appearing in New York.
However, the Autobots remaining on Cybertron responded to the call with indifference.
Optimus Prime was their leader now. Even if Nemesis Prime was a Prime elder, the Autobots weren't so quick to accept him.
And even if some Autobots did want to answer his call, they didn't dare appear before the Decepticons on Cybertron.
As more and more Decepticons emerged, they began—under Shockwave and Soundwave's orders—to actively attack the police and the American troops deployed by Ross.
As time passed, the situation grew increasingly dire. If this continued, not just New York—the entire United States might fall.
Over on Long Island, Stark and Banner watched the news coverage on television. In unison, they said:
"We need the Hulk."
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