Kemira looked nervously at her classmate, who had just finished his strange meditative trance.
"Are you… back to normal?" she asked in a trembling voice. "That big guy was staring right at us a moment ago."
Her gaze flicked toward Bumblebee, and she instantly averted her eyes when she found him still watching them.
If this alien machine decided to take offense at something she said… she'd be finished.
Sam, however, slowly rose to his feet. A new kind of light burned in his eyes—a sharp glint of confidence.
Pushing Kemira gently aside, he walked right up to the towering alien robot and asked plainly, "Were you calling for backup just now?"
Bumblebee's radio voice crackled.
"Yes… it's nine o'clock. Football broadcast."
The mismatched fragments of words told Sam what he already suspected—Bumblebee was injured and having trouble communicating.
"Using radio to speak? Looks like you're damaged," Sam said, narrowing his eyes. "So, why did you come to Earth?"
The radio blurted out:
"Space fleet…"
The broken phrases made any real conversation impossible.
Sam thought for a moment and then offered, "Alright—let's keep it simple. I'll ask you yes-or-no questions. If I'm right, nod. If I'm wrong, shake your head."
Bumblebee nodded quickly.
"You didn't come here to invade Earth, did you?" Sam asked.
The robot shook his head slowly.
Kemira let out a relieved sigh.
If this was true, at least they weren't dealing with alien conquerors. Judging from the sheer presence of these beings, modern civilization wouldn't stand a chance in a war against them.
Sam continued, "You came here looking for something… and that thing is very important to you, right?"
Bumblebee nodded, then mimed a protective gesture, clutching an invisible object close to his chest.
The meaning was obvious, and both Sam and Kemira froze for a moment.
Kemira ventured, "Are you… protecting us?"
Just as Bumblebee was about to nod, the whistling of wind cut through the night air.
He instinctively moved to shield the two humans—
—but a flash of crackling thunder surged from the ground.
"Who dares attack me!?" Sam's voice boomed, lightning spiraling around his body.
BOOM!
The electric light blazed so brightly that it lit the distant hills.
Bumblebee's sensors locked onto the intruder instantly—
A Decepticon Tiger-920 unit, positioned five hundred meters away.
"Sam?" Kemira whispered, stunned.
Her mind spun. First, her classmate's car had transformed into an alien robot… and now her friend had suddenly unleashed lightning powers to attack extraterrestrial machines.
Was she still on Earth—or had she stepped into some kind of fantasy epic?
Within moments, Sam returned, holding the severed head of the Decepticon in one hand. The metal was blackened and scorched, smoke still curling from it.
Bumblebee instinctively took a step back.
The attack that had felled the Decepticon so cleanly could just as easily destroy a Transformer.
What had happened to this human boy?
Then he remembered the "nonsense" Sam had mumbled that night while staring at the stars.
His mechanical core skipped a beat.
Could Earth hide a civilization capable of this?
If so, Cybertronians would have to tread very, very carefully here.
Otherwise… they might end up dismantled into scrap.
Sam grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
"Not bad, huh? Without this power, I'd still be the guy relying on others' protection."
His smile faded as his voice turned cold.
"Your machine lifeforms aren't a united front, are you? That one didn't attack me and Kemira—it attacked you."
He let the words hang in the air, then added, "Before your companions arrive, we'd better talk. This world isn't as simple as you think."
Bumblebee could only nod in agreement.
Without another word, he transformed back into his Camaro form and opened the doors for them. The trio sped off toward the mountain outskirts.
Kemira's nerves were frayed to the breaking point. She'd nearly fainted twice already tonight.
Sam, meanwhile, looked at her and asked casually, "Want to get the same power I have?"
She gave a half-skeptical, half-curious pout. "Yeah, right. Like it's that simple."
"If you join our Eternal Church, it is that simple," Sam replied. "Think of all the terrifying things from the movies. I'm your living example—you could be just as strong."
"What's this Eternal Church? Is it like believing in God?" she asked.
"God?" Sam scoffed. "Not worthy to polish our God's shoes."
Kemira blinked. "Uh… so what do I have to pay? My soul?"
"No," Sam said with mock solemnity. "Only pious faith. This world needs a real God—otherwise we're all just lost sheep."
He imitated a priest's grave tone, hiding the fact that, just hours earlier, he'd been wondering if he was going insane.
But the act worked—Kemira actually felt a spark of excitement.
Compared to alien machines, humans were more relatable… and more trustworthy.
The only thing that worried her was whether joining this "church" would come with restrictions she couldn't stomach.
When they reached the mountains, Bumblebee transformed again.
Sam faced him squarely. "To you, we humans must seem weak. But that's only because our God hasn't bothered with this world. That's changed now."
He lifted his voice in a mock prayer. "God, have mercy on me."
Then, coldly, "From this moment on, you—robot—are my captive. And anyone who attacks me will become my prey."
Bumblebee shifted uncomfortably, shaking his head.
He'd treated Sam as a friend… but the boy was declaring him a prisoner.
"You can refuse," Sam said lightly, "but then I'll destroy you."
A spear of lightning, ten meters long, formed in his hands, humming with deadly energy.
Bumblebee's internal alerts screamed:
"ENERGY LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC!
POTENTIAL LETHALITY: EXTREME!
WARNING! WARNING!"
Sam drove the spearpoint into the earth. The ground hissed and burned, a deep scar gouged into the soil.
Even alien robots feared lightning—metal was their body, and this power was its natural predator.
"Do you really want to fight me?" Sam asked. "If you die, the things on Earth will fall into your enemies' hands."
Bumblebee hesitated. The boy's words struck straight at his core directive.
Slowly, he transformed back into his Camaro form—a silent surrender.
Sam smiled, then hurled his spear toward the distant treeline.
BOOM!
A hundred meters of forest disintegrated into dust.
United States
The Decepticon incursions had thrown the entire special defense department into chaos.
Infrastructure was damaged, communication lines cut, and nothing they had could counter the alien threat.
Then a crucial report came in: all Decepticon activity in the past forty-eight hours had centered around a single young man—Sam Witwicky.
The Federal Commander didn't hesitate.
"Arrest him. Find out what those things are after!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hundreds of soldiers were mobilized—to capture a student.
Surveillance feeds picked him up along Shanlin Avenue.
"The target is moving through the forest road—teams, go!"
Sam, sitting in Bumblebee's car, felt the killing intent drawing near.
"These soldiers move fast," he murmured. "Wait here. Don't interfere."
Kemira frowned. "What are you planning?"
"I'm going to show them God's power," Sam said with a smirk. "It'll help spread the doctrine."
The First Law of the Eternal God: Never forget to spread the faith.
A God above all others should be worshiped by the world.
Dozens of headlights lit up the Camaro.
Sam stepped out, facing the soldiers standing by armored vehicles. "What's the deal? Why stop me?"
"Cooperate with our investigation—we're with the Federation!" one barked.
They didn't want to waste time talking; a soldier immediately approached with handcuffs.
Two arcs of lightning leapt from the ground.
The soldier was blasted back, coughing blood.
"Target resisting—prepare special measures!"
"Deploy Fifth Team!"
More than a dozen armored soldiers advanced with riot shields.
Sam lifted his palm. A chain of lightning snapped from his hand, vaporizing the entire squad in an instant.
As he walked forward, the soldiers tensed.
"Stop right there, or we'll open fire!"
"Three… two… one…"
The shots rang out—
—but the bullets passed through his body harmlessly.
Sam had become a living lightning form, the second stage of his meditation.
"Down you go, chopsticks."
He slammed a lightning-charged fist into the ground.
The earth itself hissed and melted.
No one could stop him; distress calls went out as helicopters swooped in.
They didn't last long—each was brought down by a single thrown lightning spear.
Sam hadn't wanted it to come to this. But these soldiers had given him no chance to talk.
If your Federation likes to bully people… fine. I'll bully you back.
He would show them—show everyone—who the true ruler of this world was.
Inside the communications building, chaos reigned.
The Decepticon crisis, the AllSpark's location compromised, and now… a human Thor.
Chief Combat Officer Charles slammed his fist on the desk, his face pale with fury.