"Alex, are you sure?"
Howard Stark's face lit up with excitent, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Alex for confirmation.
"I'm sure of it," Alex said with a firm nod.
"Yes!"
Howard clenched his fist in celebration.
Since Alex discovered the first chanical lifeform, S.H.I.E.L.D. had poured countless resources into the investigation. And now, they finally had sothing tangible to show for it.
"Mr. Stark, I hope it's not too late to ask, but how much do you know about UB6's capabilities?" Alex asked, unable to hold back his curiosity after seeing Howard so thrilled.
The last ti he handed sothing over to S.H.I.E.L.D., it was the corpse of a Decepticon. He was pretty sure S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't found any living ones yet. Which ant they'd likely never encountered a functional Decepticon in the field.
He couldn't help but doubt how well they really understood what they were dealing with.
"Alex, don't underestimate us," Howard said, sounding a little offended. "The UB6 project is being led by Arnim himself. We've made remarkable progress! Oh, Arnim—he's the guy who almost blew up the entire base last ti you dropped by."
"He's our chief researcher. A genius, second only to ."
Arnim? You an Arnim Zola?
Of course I know that guy.
Hearing Howard speak so highly of Zola left Alex speechless. That was a diehard HYDRA loyalist—faithful in life, devoted even in death. Truly touching stuff.
"You seem to have a lot of faith in Arnim," Alex remarked, raising a brow with interest.
"Of course I do. Why, is there sothing you're trying to say?" Howard asked, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't dumb—he could hear the subtext.
"From what I've seen, that man has the face of a traitor."
Alex put on a mysterious expression, deliberately speaking in a cryptic tone.
"Face of a traitor?" Howard frowned. "What does that even an?"
"It's a kind of physiognomy. It ans soone's prone to betrayal," Alex explained.
Howard scoffed. "Co on, Alex. I know Arnim's not as good-looking as I am, but you can't judge a book by its cover. I appreciate the concern, but you're overthinking it."
Alex didn't push the point.
He just brought it up on a whim. Whether Howard believed him or not, that was his problem.
"Anyway, now that UB6's status is confird, I think it's ti we had a word with General Ross," Howard said, giving Alex a firm pat on the shoulder before turning to head back toward the main hall.
"Stark?"
A voice called out just then.
They turned to see a tall, commanding middle-aged man standing down the hallway, a scowl on his face as he stared at Howard.
Beside him stood a younger man in a suit—likely a bodyguard or aide.
Alex glanced at the man's features and instantly caught a resemblance to General—or perhaps Secretary—Ross. The conclusion ca naturally.
That's probably him—General Ross.
"Mind telling what you're doing near my vehicle, Stark?" Ross demanded as he strode over with heavy steps, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Are you investigating ?"
"General Ross, please don't misunderstand. I can explain—really, I can!" Howard quickly tried to calm the situation.
"You better have a good explanation," Ross said with a cold snort, exuding authority. "Your people were the ones who tampered with my car last ti, weren't they? What, you think I'm hiding sothing in there?"
"This is all a big misunderstanding, I swear. Can we talk in private?"
Howard asked politely.
Ross paused for a few seconds, then said flatly, "You've got three minutes."
"Plenty. Right this way, General."
Howard gestured courteously and led Ross a few steps away into a quieter corner.
There, he whispered the entire story about the Decepticons into Ross's ear.
For anyone unfamiliar with the situation, it sounded like pure science fiction—and sure enough, Ross exploded.
"Ridiculous! This is insane! Are you seriously telling my car is alive?"
"You're saying it can turn into a giant robot?"
He stord back over to his Jeep, jabbing a finger at it as he threw his fury at Howard.
"You call yourself a scientist, and this is what you co up with?"
"My thirteen-year-old son wouldn't even believe this nonsense!"
"Shhh—General Ross, please stop talking!" Howard hissed. "It might hear you!"
According to Alex's intel, these chanical lifeforms weren't just machines—they were intelligent beings. They understood human speech.
That's why Howard and Alex had always used codenas and never referred to them directly as "chanical lifeforms."
"Oh, it can hear ? Even better!" Ross sneered. "Hey buddy, if you can hear —why don't you go ahead and transform?"
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Right then, the sound of heavy tal shifting filled the air.
Everyone turned as the Jeep, which had been sitting innocently nearby, suddenly began to shake.
Panels slid open. Gears twisted. Components unfolded like waves in a storm.
Before their very eyes, the ordinary Jeep disassembled and reassembled itself—rising, shifting, reshaping.
In just a few seconds, the vehicle was gone, replaced by a massive robot standing nearly seven ters tall.
"Oh my God…"
"Jesus Christ…"
General Ross, who had just been mocking the very idea, now looked like he'd seen a ghost. His jaw dropped.
He stared up at the towering tal giant, stunned speechless.
Even Howard Stark, who had already seen a Decepticon corpse, couldn't help but be overwheld.
This was different.
Watching one transform in real-ti... the sheer visual impact was enough to make even a seasoned scientist freeze up.
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