Above the smoking ruins of the Wakandan kingdom, an endless roar of Cybertronians tore through the skies. What was once a land of ancient heritage and cutting-edge technology had become a merciless battlefield, a twisted wasteland littered with screams and scorched corpses.
Megatron dragged Shuri by the collar, hurling her at Martin's feet with grim satisfaction.
"This one's intellect… even my scanning systems can't detect its upper limit," he growled.
Martin barely spared her a glance. His eyes met Shuri's, burning with fury and defiance. He chuckled darkly, then, without hesitation, snapped the neck of the prodigious mind who once stood poised to shape the future.
Another execution, swift and merciless.
"Burn the body."
Martin waved a hand dismissively, already losing interest. His focus had shifted to the next phase.
He was summoning Optimus Prime.
A beam of light projected from Martin's eyes, lancing into the air like a divine command. Slowly, piece by piece, Optimus Prime's towering form began to materialize from that radiant blueprint.
"That one… is he—?"
Megatron's optics whirred and focused. With a single glance, he recognized the familiar figure, triggering an instinctive wave of disgust.
Optimus Prime.
...
[Optmus Prime]
Faction: Autobot Legion – Commander
Personality: Compassionate (Trust Bonus +30%)
Height: 8.5 meters
Energon Output: 9.5 million units
Status: Optimal
Combat Rating: Tier 4
Signature Quote: "Autobots, transform!"
Evaluation: The resolute leader of the Autobots, a warrior of unbreakable will who guides his troops through even the darkest battles.
...
"Hmph. So it is him…" Megatron crossed his arms and scowled, radiating disdain as he glared at his old nemesis.
As the summoning process completed, Optimus's optics flickered to life, bright, analytical blue scanning the ravaged Wakandan landscape. His gaze settled on Martin, and the Autobot leader inclined his head slightly in solemn deference.
"O Great Creator, I pledge myself to your command."
Optimus's voice was firm, respectful, his demeanor restrained and stoic, a stark contrast to Megatron's cold smirks and sneering aggression. There was a monk-like severity to him, honed by endless war.
Martin nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. Optimus, from this moment, you will begin rebuilding the Autobot Legion. I need your strength. Our first goal is to establish a foothold here on Earth. Once we're stable, we build a spacefaring fleet, and leave this planet behind."
He examined Optimus with a critical eye. Though the Autobot leader stood a head shorter than Megatron, lacking the latter's raw intimidation factor, his presence carried an innate authority that Megatron could never replicate.
"You're just the beginning," Martin said, fire in his voice. "Soon, we'll raise the Quintessa Legion… the Insecticon Swarm… the Dreadnoughts. Cybertron must rise again, and for that, we'll need every kind of talent."
Optimus nodded gravely, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield, then faltered as it landed on Shuri's crumpled corpse. His brow creased instinctively.
Megatron let out a scornful snort.
"Spare us your sanctimony. We're not going to win hearts and minds through kindness. If we want something, we take it, and make damn sure they lose something in return."
"I don't agree with your philosophy," Optimus replied, locking eyes with him. "But I know what needs to be done."
"Good. Because the last thing I need is your laughable moral compass screwing up the entire operation," Megatron sneered. Grabbing Shuri's body once more, he turned and stalked off to fulfill Martin's order—reduce her remains to ash.
"Optimus, your task is to raise a unit and begin excavation of the vibranium mines. I want a Cybertronian base established atop those veins as soon as possible. Civil-type 'bots will handle most of the infrastructure work. You're free to coordinate with the Decepticons' demolition crews."
Martin's tone shifted, colder now, more proprietary.
"From this moment on, all Wakandan vibranium belongs to me. These mines are the lifeblood of Cybertron, they're my resources now. I'll scour this land down to bedrock before I let even a single gram of vibranium escape us."
He tapped the side of his head.
"My abilities let me detect vibranium at the molecular level. Every particle, every speck, it's now Cybertronian property. My property."
"If there's oil in a stone, I'll crush it to extract it."
His voice held a steel-edged certainty. Then, without warning, he launched himself into the sky, crashing through the ruins of a nearby building before landing with a resounding thud at the mouth of a vibranium mine.
He stooped, grabbing a few stones off the ground, examining them.
Satisfied, he nodded.
Even these scattered rocks had been laced with trace amounts of vibranium, slowly permeated over centuries by exposure to the mines' radiation.
Across all of Wakanda, this contamination had left its mark; on the landscape, on the mutated violet flora, on the very earth itself.
All of it, his now.
No patch of ground would be spared. If he had to strip the land bare, he would. Wakanda was no longer a nation, it was the cornerstone of Cybertron's rebirth.
To a machine world, there was nothing more precious than an inexhaustible supply of vibranium.
Martin stepped forward into the depths of the mine.
He closed his eyes.
And unleashed the power of the AllSpark.
"Let's take a closer look at what we're dealing with…"
"These reserves… they're monstrous…"
In his perception, the underground was ablaze with color, pulsing veins of violet ore threading through earth and stone.
The very soil and plant life had begun converting, slowly but inevitably, into vibranium-laced material. The transformation was slow, but constant. Irreversible.
"When I rebuild Cybertron, the first thing I'll do is move these mines there… and raise the new capital atop them."
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