JORDANIAN DESERT | DECEMBER 25TH, 0630 HOURS
William stands tall against the rising sun, his new form casting a long shadow across the sand. The nanites covering his body shift and flow like liquid metal, adapting to the morning breeze as he tests his enhanced senses. He can hear every engine, every radio signal, every heartbeat for kilometers around.
"Let's see what these upgrades can do," he mutters, flexing his massive hands. The metal plates on his forearms slide apart to reveal an energy cannon that hum with barely contained power. He's still getting used to the scale—thirteen meters tall feels both natural and alien at the same time.
Then he turned as he hears them.
Thump-thump-thump—the heavy rotor wash of Black Hawk helicopters, followed by the rumble of armored vehicles kicking up clouds of dust from the main road. To his left, two distinct energy signatures burn bright—Cybertronian, aggressive, fast approaching. To his right, a third signature—smaller, more cautious, staying low behind a ridge line.
"Right on time," he thinks, his enhanced processor already calculating trajectories and threat levels.
"THIS IS U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND—YOU ARE IN A RESTRICTED MILITARY OPERATIONS AREA. STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL BE ENGAGED!"
The message blares from loudspeakers on the lead Black Hawk as four helicopters circle overhead, their chain guns trained on him. Below, a column of Humvees and M1126 Stryker vehicles spreads out in a defensive formation, soldiers taking up positions behind sandbags and vehicle armor.
William doesn't respond—just turns his head slowly, his glowing blue eyes locking onto the approaching Cybertronians. Two jets streak across the sky, transforming mid-flight into massive robots that touch down with ground-shaking force.
"Starscream," he identifies the sleek, red-and-silver seeker who lands twenty meters away, his arm cannons already charging. "And Barricade." The black police-car-turned-Decepticon skids to a halt beside him, his faceplate splitting into a menacing grin.
"I don't believe we've met, but you're clearly a Prime! But who cares, where is the energon source!?" Starscream screeches, firing a volley of plasma blasts. "Give it to me or I'll reduce you to scraps!"
William moves faster than any of them can track—dodging the blasts with a side roll that sent sand flying in all directions. He slams his fist into Barricade's chest before the Decepticon can react, sending him crashing through three Stryker vehicles like they're made of cardboard.
"ENGAGE! ENGAGE!"
The military opens fire—.50 caliber rounds, 40mm grenades, even a Javelin missile streaking toward him. William raises one arm, and a shield of solid energy materializes in front of him. The missile impacts with a deafening boom, but the shield holds firm, absorbing the blast and converting it into energy that flows back into his body.
He turned his attention to the helicopters, extending one hand. Blue lightning arcs from his fingertips, striking two of the Black Hawks simultaneously. Their engines seized up, and they spin out of control before crashing into the desert floor.
'That's an obvious upgrade from my previous stun gun.'
Starscream dives at him from above with a loud shout, blades extended. William dodged and caught the seeker by the wings before slamming him into the ground hard enough to leave a crater.
"You talk too much," he rumbles, his voice carrying across the battlefield like thunder. He fires his forearm cannon with bursts of concentrated energy that sliced through Starscream's armor like knife through butter.
The Decepticon howled in pain and rage, transforming back into jet mode and trying to escape. But William is already airborne—his foot, back and palm plating shifted to form blasters that carried him into the sky at supersonic speed.
He tackled Starscream mid-flight, slamming him into a sandstone formation for a second time. Starscream rolled and opened fire with his own weapon but the unknown enemy who he realized wasn't even an Autobot dismissed it with utter ease. William's hand shot out grabbing Starscream's head.
"WAIT... WA... WAI-" He screamed desperately before William squeezed and put him out of commission.
'Weak!'
Back on the ground, Barricade has long recovered and is tearing through the Jordan-US military positions, tossing Humvees like toys while trying to retreat.
To his surprise, William descended between the Decepticon and the pursuing soldiers. He grabbed Barricade by the neck, lifting him off his feet.
"Earth isn't your playground," William growls, channeling electricity through his hand. Barricade convulses as thousands of volts course through his circuits, his systems short-circuiting one by one. With a final squeeze, William hurls him into the air and blast him with his hand cannon.
The military has stopped firing now—soldiers staring in shock at the giant metal figure who just took down two mega robots without breaking a sweat. Should they continue intimidating this monster or should they just shoot themselves? Engagement is clearly no different from suicide without fire support.
Unfortunately, no reinforcement are coming. William already disabled the military drones, communication, satellite. This is basically a dead zone at this moment and no one outside will know what happened here until it's over.
From behind the ridge line, a small yellow car rolls out slowly, transforming into a compact robot who stops at a safe distance. Bumblebee tilts his head, his optical sensors flickering as he scans William—then he lets out a series of electronic chirps and whistles.
William understands instantly—Bumblebee is asking who he is, what he wants, and why he has Prime energy flowing through him.
"I'm Linux Prime," he replies, his nanites shifting to reduce his size to eight meters. "I'm here to make sure Earth is ready for what's coming. Tell Optimus Prime I'll be in touch."
He grabbed the bodies of the fallen decepticons and flew away. He began assimilation and finished his meal just as he entered the sea where a part of his head separated from the body.
When he became a part Cybertronian he discovered that he could be what is referred to as a headmaster in the cybertronian race. These rare individuals have the ability to separate part of them from the main body and act independently. Now the body is on a search for Merlin's vessel and the smaller part is heading for the shore.