Since a single fish decided to poke out through the water, humanity has continuously evolved as the dominant species on Earth. Inch by inch, their knowledge and numbers grew as they persisted through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages. It didn't matter whether it was the weather, diseases, or other animals; humans prevailed and conquered. Too bad that was nothing but a big lie.
These past couple of years have shown mankind as nothing more than a tiny fish in a pond bigger than ever imagined. When we first made a fire, primordial creatures spewed breath hotter than any magma below Earth's surface. Then, during the wheel's first test drive, alien machines commanded tech which could change the world.
For eons, these god-like creatures have waged their continent-shaking conflicts underneath civilizations' noses until now. Then, finally, alien worlds got traded for urban jungles, with millions of innocent humans paying the ultimate price. So now the world had to ask a bold question. How can humanity hope to survive in a world of monsters?
Only a few brave souls had the answer. We must become monsters ourselves. Using the fallen corpses of their fallen enemies and billions of underground funding, two companies were birthed through the ashes of war to surpass both Titan and Transformer: Apex Cybernetics and Kinetic Solutions Inc.
After months of solo breakthroughs, the two underground monopolies finally knew of each other they created an alliance, hoping to kill two birds with a single mighty stone. A fate that may come true today, as five noble extraterrestrials made their way to Hong Kong. To the ordinary bystander, a Western Star 5700 XE semi-trailer truck, a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, a Green 2005 Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle, a Black and Blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, and Green and Black 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray, one wouldn't think there was more than meets the eye.
A deeper inspection shows there were robots in disguise and the last remaining set of Autobots continuing their millennia-old mission. To risk plate and circuit to wage their war to prevent the evil forces of the Decepticons. Or, in this case, their spiritual successors and creators, KSI.
"Faster, my Autobots! Cade and the others may have located the Seed, but we must get to them before Galvatron secures them. If its power is to be believed, Earth is in danger again," Optimus commanded through the intercom.
Drift responded first, trying to take Optimus's lead position.
"Hai sensei, we'll be swift as the wind and strike with the force of thunder."
Bumblebee swerved in front of him first, though, the scout's immaturity poking through a series of disjointed radio transmissions.
"Get in line, newbie."
Thus started a mini argument between the two, which Crosshairs and Hound promptly ignored while hanging back.
"I don't know about you, but I hope we don't beat Megs to the thingamajig. Been a while since my weapons been this loaded," Hound said excitedly.
"Make every shot count, hotshot. Unfortunately, good ammo is hard to come by nowadays."
Unfortunately, the five Cybertornians would never reach their destination. Instead, they would have bigger fish to fry. In this case, it was literal, as KSI left the perfect stage for Apex Cybernetics to clean up their mess and give their newest weapon a powerful test drive. As the Autobots rocketed through the city streets, a massive rumbling seemed to shake through the entire city.
"Is that an earthquake?" Crosshair said worriedly.
"No, I sense it's something far worse," Drift replied forebodingly.
The Autobot proved right as the shaking started to multiply its intensity, many times over, shaking skyscrapers and uprooting entire streets. Finally, powerlines began to snap in two, and fellow vehicles violently swerved into one another, creating panic. In seconds chaos overtook the whole city, having entire crowds of people depart in fear as if it was a natural disaster.
Instead, something far worse came as KSI's and Apex's magnum opus made its grand entrance. For years humans have been amazed at the height of the mostly 20-foot-tall Autobots. However, Mechagodzilla's fearsome 400 ft height made them look like mere toys. It confidently strode through several buildings while delivering a mighty earsplitting roar that shook the heavens. Optimus's entire team froze in terror as Mechagodzilla scanned their same sparks with unflinchingly cold red eyes.
The mech's mind then returned to its animalistic roots, opening its artificial maw to release its Hollow Earth-born power. Waves of ungodly heat simmered the air till it came alight through a massive scarlet laser!
"Autobots, disperse and roll out!"
Using the wide alleys to their advantage, the robotic warriors split toward the various streets. Unfortunately, the blast's incredible power was still too much, creating massive waves of debris that knocked each automaton straight into robot mode. A dazed Optimus Prime looks at the beam escaping the city through the smoke and ash, set to hit another innocent target.
Prickles of fear pierced through his metallic skin, his spark slightly wavering against such almighty power. However, his Matrix of Leadership gave him hope, encouraging him to rise and be the leader his people need once again. He then looked at his comms, seeing his team remain unharmed.
"Hound take to the skies and engage the skies. Crosshairs get to higher ground as well and lay covering fire with Hound. Bumblebee circle and perform hit-and-run tactics to find the enemies' weaknesses."
"And what are you going to do, Sensei" Drift responded.
"I'm taking the fight directly to him," Optimus yelled as he charged toward the synthetic Titan.
Begrudgingly, the Autobots followed their lead in his charge. Hound came barrelling in first, using one of his countless munitions to bathe the battlefield with bullets that would cleave an ordinary human down the middle. They were bonafide love taps against the Titan's skin, doing minimal damage. Still, they got the beast's attention as Mechagodzilla leveled its massive rotating tail to strike down.
Despite coming at the speed of a monorail, Drift could vault over the strike that cratered the entire street. He swiftly made his way up the tail while slashing away his katanas. In response, the machine roared, retracting its limb up in the air. Then, the Autobot found another counter, gracefully transforming into a Sikorsky S-97 Raider helicopter.
Like a fly, Mechagodzilla tried to swat the assassin away, but Crosshair, now on top of a building, intervened. Through his steely optics, he raised his twin turbo guns, steadying his breath before firing at the perfect moment. At the same time, a duo of bullet casings made their dozens-foot drop, and volumes of oil dripped from the mech's devil-like right eye.
King Ghidorah's instinctive mind reared its ugly head again, riling the mech into an uncontrolled frenzy. Adding insult to injury, Drift bombarded the former King of Monsters with missiles. All these serve as a grand setup for Optimus to charge in with shield and knife, ready to get up close and personal.
Scraping steel and violent sparks seemed to set Hong Kong ablaze as Optimus slashed, shield bashed, and stabbed his way up the massive enemy. Bumblebee followed his leader's orders to the letter, drifting himself across the battlefield while aiming blaster fire toward the back of his right leg.
This routine of heavy fire kept up for several minutes, giving the city a dangerous light show the city will never forget. Then, oil and chipped bits of metal plating started falling toward the floor, scraping into Mechagodzilla. Any other opponent would've collapsed by now, but Apex magnum opus wasn't designed to go down so quickly.
After cycling through its armies' worth of ammunition, Mechagodzilla adapted. Numerous thrusters started to pop out from its spiky back, sputtering to life. They roared almost as loud as the mech itself. The behemoth also spread its arms, enhancing its already impressive power. Unfortunately, Optimus was the only one to catch what their enemy was about to do.
"Watch out, my Autobots, he's about to,"
His voice instantly got consumed by the thunderous ignition of several rockets, momentarily sending the gigantic lizard flying through entire city blocks. Multiple buildings crumpled like wet tissue paper underneath Mechagodzilla's weighty arms, sending tons of shrapnel everywhere. Optimus Prime held on for dear life, and Drift and Bumblebee tried desperately to catch up while keeping up the pressure.
Leaving Crosshair and Hound to brave the worst of the world's most dangerous clothesline. The marksman reflexively transformed, trying to gain some semblance of speed to hopelessly jump towards a solid platform, eventually getting lost in a sea of debris. Hound was even worse, though, realizing he didn't have enough time to avoid their rampage.
So instead, the commando lit his large cigar and set off every grenade, mine, and explosive he had on him. A wide smile escaped his face, knowing that if he wasn't going to make it, he could, at the very least, join his brothers in the Allspark.
"Come and get it, you overgrown heap of cheap scrap. The very least I can do is have you choke on these like the mudflap you are," he yelled resolutely.
Dozens of tons of military power then slammed into the grisly Autobot creating a massive explosion that consumed the battlefield. The fire and Mechagodzilla's sheer momentum caused Hound's blackened carcass to launch like a soccer ball, hitting several buildings before going offline. Still, his sacrifice wasn't entirely in vain, though, as the blast's sheer power was what finally fell the massive machine.
Much like an adult may accidentally slip on a toy car Mechagodzilla fell with enough force to shatter every window for miles. In animalistic confusion, the beast looked towards its now sputtering left foot, realizing Hound's final play. However, the Autobots stayed stunned for an entirely different reason.
Between the Battle for Chicago and KSI's dangerous hunt for them, the once proud collation of Cybertronians was now a mere handful. To even be fighting alongside each other right now was a miracle. So to lose yet another member is a cost almost too horrible to bear. Decades of rage boiled over the remaining veterans, making their weapons grow hotter and gripped blades even harder. At that point, even a Prime didn't have to give a single order since, at that moment, he could tell that his men all felt the same way. Whether one or many will rise here today, they will at least do everything they can to ensure this abomination falls.
Pooling together every bit of Energon they could muster, the mound of ants saw if they could draw blood from a giant. Crosshair tried striking first, huddling his broken body for a quick shot between skyscrapers. Then, still livid from his last wound, Mechagodzilla raised its head, preparing another shot from his A-47 Proton Scream.
However, the kaiju forgot that Optimus still held his steely grip on him. Before another scarlet beam tore through Crosshair, Optimus's shield bashed the creature's maw just enough for it to harmless rip through the sky. The age-old leader tried to grapple with the beast and keep its mouth from engaging another scream. The size difference, though, turned Prime into a chew toy while thrown into a building.
The other Autobots tried to keep up the pressure, Hound swooping in from above and Bumblebee desperately trying to close in. But the monster had other plans, though. With a pained glint in its eyes, Mechagodzilla sent a full salvo of missiles. For its organic counterpart, they wouldn't feel like gnats to its thick hide. Instead, the Autobots thought they were projectiles all too fatal.
For those still on the ground, avoiding them was challenging but not impossible, as they used the storm of debris as cover. The airborne Drift, though, was a different story. Pulling out every airborne maneuver he could, swooping and swerving the first half dozen ballistics. But when he zoomed straight towards him, he took other precautions, changing towards robot mode to bisect it in one slice.
Unfortunately, the resulting explosion threw off the warrior's exceptional balance, stalling movements enough to the point he got reduced to nothing more than a burning car wreck by the time he finally touched Earth. Our heroes morale reached an all-time low from there, but they kept strategizing as Crosshairs and Bumblebee observed their immediate surroundings and spoke through their comm links.
"You sure about that kid? It's risky even by our standards," Crosshair said worriedly.
"Only play we got. Just don't waste it," the scout said as he transformed back to vehicle mode.
At alarming speed, Bumblebee departed, blaring his horn at the most ear-bleeding frequency he could unleash. Annoyed, Mechagodzilla chased after him like a mad dog, using his rotating tail and claws to try swatting the bug. However, the scout kept trucking, avoiding every dash till the two robots entered a row of particularly unstable buildings. Then, finally, through the scope of his pistols, Crosshair collected himself, preparing for the hardest shot of his life.
"If we survive this, I'll tell them you were the best of us, kid. Wake up, Optimus. We need you," he said before closing his eyes.
When Mechagodzilla finally grabbed hold of his annoying prey, seconds away from shredding through his plating with his serrated teeth, Crosshair took the shot. Several bullets ripped through the set of skyscrapers in seconds, sending tons of rubble collapsing on both their heads. The resulting crash was so titanic that Crosshair got thrown back from the shockwave, heading immediately into shutdown before crashing.
Leaving only a weary Optimus to walk through the rubble, clutching his barely functioning left arm as he tried to find any non-disabled men. All he could find, though, was the corpses of his deceased comrades and a monster who still wouldn't die. Much like the mighty phoenix herself, Mechagodzilla rose from the ashes, battered but not defeated.
With the two mighty warriors now face to face once again, Optimus willed himself for what may be his darkest hour—honoring his fellow soldiers. He grabbed one of Drift's burnt blades and Hound's firearm, ready to die fighting. However, before a final blow got struck, fate had different plans.
No one knew whether it was due to a stray missile or rouge laser, but the oncoming battle seemed to have ravaged not only Hong Kong but Lockdown's ship, releasing a whole new element on the battlefield. One that was frankly pissed off and had spent the past several minutes hunting down its attacker. In joint amazement, the transformer and Titan looked at the looming presence of Grimlock as he zoomed in on his next two opponents.