Chapter 63: Autobot

Sharon stared, wide-eyed, as the Camaro's dashboard flickered and began to shift beneath her hands. A robotic voice, calm and deep, echoed through the car's speakers: "Boss, sit tight. I'm going to transform." She blinked rapidly. Did the car just... talk? Her confusion quickly shifted to disbelief as the very interior of the car seemed to collapse and morph. "Luke, what's going on?" she asked, her voice tight with tension. Luke didn't answer. His gaze was fixed forward, lips curved slightly upward. Behind them, Steve let out a strangled shout. "What the hell is happening?!" He reached up and gripped the seat in front of him like it was the only stable thing in the universe. The Camaro shuddered, then leapt from the ground with a guttural mechanical groan. From the outside, the transformation was even more shocking. The yellow sports car launched into the air in a blur of shifting panels, gears, and mechanical limbs. Metal twisted, realigned, and interlocked with precision. In seconds, the elegant car had become a towering, humanoid robot nearly triple the height of Obadiah's Iron Monger. Its design was sleek, futuristic, with glowing blue optics and limbs pulsing with faint yellow lines of energy, like living circuitry. It landed with a heavy thud, its feet cracking the concrete beneath. The massive robot then gently lowered its palm to the ground. Seated in its open hand were Luke, Sharon, and Steve, looking like dwarves in the hand of a giant. "Everyone off," Luke said, hopping down without hesitation. "Run! What are you waiting for?" Sharon followed quickly, though her gaze never left the Autobot. Steve hesitated for a beat longer, completely dumbfounded. "That... that was a car!" he stammered as he finally jumped down. "No time to explain!" Luke called over his shoulder. "Unless you want to get flattened!" The three sprinted out of the immediate battlefield, just as Obadiah took a hesitant step forward. His mouth twitched as he lowered the foot he had raised in embarrassment, clearly intending to stomp the Camaro just moments earlier. Now... there wasn't a Camaro anymore. There was a robot standing in front of him. And it looked vastly more advanced than anything he, or even Stark, had ever built. "W-what the hell..." Obadiah muttered under his breath. "That wasn't part of the plan." Not far away, Tony hovered midair in his scratched and smoking armor, equally stunned. "Jarvis," he said slowly, "tell me I'm hallucinating. Did that car actually transform?" Jarvis responded quickly. "Sir, visual confirmation: the vehicle transformed into a sentient robotic entity. Technology is of unknown origin. Estimated to be at least 50 years ahead of your current designs, if not more." Tony's brow furrowed. "Is it hostile?" "Unclear. However, the car is registered to one 'Luke Yale.' Owner of a small grocery store on 58th Street. Also, he holds 528 shares of Hammer Industries." Tony's mouth dropped open, his expression immediately souring. "Hammer? You've got to be kidding me..." He shook his head in disbelief. "What else is this guy hiding? A personal spaceship?" ... Meanwhile, the onlookers on the sidewalk, and across TV screens worldwide, were losing their minds. They had just witnessed something out of science fiction. A car... had just turned into a living robot. On a city street. During a super-powered battle. Reporters fumbled to adjust their camera angles. "Ladies and gentlemen," one news anchor stammered, eyes wide as saucers, "you are seeing this live. A yellow Camaro has... I-I don't believe it, transformed into a humanoid machine." Another reporter screamed off-camera, "I swear, this is not CGI! This is real life!" The audience back home didn't know whether to scream, cry, or cheer. ... Back on the battlefield, the towering Autobot took one heavy step toward Obadiah. Its optics flared a deeper blue as its voice echoed once again: "For attempting to harm my master... prepare to be eliminated." Obadiah blinked. "Wait, hold on," he said, raising a hand as if to ward off an incoming strike. "This isn't what it looks like..." The Autobot didn't move, but its arms shifted. Weapons emerged from each forearm, rotating into place with a mechanical whirrrr. "You raised a foot against my master. That is reason enough." Obadiah's bravado faltered. Tony, still hovering nearby, chuckled darkly. "Well," he muttered to himself, "look how the tables have turned." ... S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters - Director's Office The room was silent, save for the hum of monitors. Nick Fury sipped his coffee, eyes narrowed at the live news broadcast. On screen, a yellow Camaro transformed into a towering robot and pointed at Iron Monger. "For attempting to harm my master, prepare to be eliminated." PFFT~! Fury spat coffee across the desk. "What the hell?!" He stared at the screen in disbelief. "Is that Yale's car talking?" A beat passed before he noticed the mess he made with the spat coffee. "...motherfucker!" ... Wanda sat on the worn couch, watching the same broadcast on a small TV. She blinked as the Camaro transformed, her brows lifting slightly. "Of course it turns into a robot, Luke has a lot to make up for, letting me behind, making me miss all the fun..." she muttered with a pout. ...