DC HERO AT MARVEL

Lennox saw the military arriving and quickly jogged over to them.

Seeing the soot-covered Lennox, with singed hair and eyebrows, looking like he had just escaped from a fire, one of the soldiers gasped in surprise.

"There a survivor here!"

Recognizing Lennox military uniform, the soldiers were overjoyed and immediately took him in.

Another soldier rushed off to inform the general who was communicating with the White House.

"What?"

The general was equally surprised and said into the communicator, "Hold on, we've found a survivor here."

Keeping the line open, he approached Lennox and asked urgently, "Soldier, what your name, and what happened here?"

"Sir, I'm Lennox, recently reassigned from the Army to lead a special operations unit under Sector 7."

Lennox quickly introduced himself before continuing, "We were attacked by aliens at the Sector 7 base. They called themselves the Decepticons and Autobots. The ones who attacked us were the Decepticons, but we were saved by Batman, Cyborg, and the Autobots—the Decepticons' enemies. They're the ones who rescued us."

"Decepticons, Autobots… and Batman, Cyborg?"

The general was stunned. This information largely matched what he had already gathered, with the surprising addition of the superheroes.

On the other end of the communicator, Tom, Keller, and the President were also receiving this report.

"NBE-ONE and the AllSpark!"

The President, too preoccupied to ask about additional survivors, urgently inquired, "What happened to those two?"

"NBE-ONE is the Decepticons' leader, Megatron. He was killed by Cyborg!"

Lennox replied, "The weapon used to kill Megatron was the AllSpark. It was likely destroyed during the battle."

"What a loss!"

The general sighed with regret but pressed on, "What about everyone else? What happened to them?"

"They likely escaped through the emergency evacuation exits. They should be a few kilometers away. We bought them enough time to flee."

Lennox explained.

After a moment of thought, he hesitated and added uncertainly, "By the way, while Megatron and the others are dead, I believe their bodies might still be buried beneath the rubble."

"Hm?"

The general and the politicians on the other end of the communicator at the White House exchanged bright-eyed glances.

Despite the loss of the base, there was still something left to salvage.

Keller and Tom exchanged a knowing look, wondering if this was Batman deliberate handiwork.

If that was the case, then Batman was far more calculating than they had imagined.

Of course, even if Batman hadn't acted with such intent, no one would dare underestimate him.

"Dig!"

The President issued the order: "Excavate the ruins and recover every last piece of the Transformers' remains."

"Understood."

The general complied, turning to his soldiers and instructing them, "Find a way to uncover what buried in the rubble. Also, send a team to the emergency escape exits to search for any remaining survivors."

He then turned to Lennox. "Do you know where the escape routes are?"

"I do. I'll lead them there."

Lennox nodded earnestly.

"Good."

The general patted him on the shoulder. "I have high hopes for you."

…

In a distant star system, within the war fortress.

The Autobots arrived in the technologically advanced space, their expressions filled with astonishment as they took in their surroundings.

However, having researched Batman before meeting him, they were not entirely unfamiliar with the alien invasion in New York a while back. It wasn't hard to deduce that this fortress was likely the weapon prepared for that invasion.

"It called the War Fortress. We went through quite the effort to wrest control of it from its previous commander."

Anton, noticing the Autobots' curiosity, explained in a calm tone.

"Batman, the Autobots will always remember your help. You will forever be a friend to us," Optimus Prime declared immediately.

"Let skip the pleasantries."

Anton waved a hand dismissively. "In a moment, you'll provide me with Cybertron coordinates.

I'll send you back there via teleportation. As for the AllSpark, Optimus, I'll provide you with a specially designed teleporter.

This device will allow you to transmit the AllSpark energy across space and time to Cybertron, targeting any coordinates you specify.

Theoretically, it can reach any corner of your planet."

He paused. "As we agreed before, I retain ownership of the AllSpark, while you have usage rights."

"Of course," Optimus Prime agreed with a nod.

Hearing this exchange, the other Autobots—except Bumblebee—were stunned. Ironhide, Jazz, and Ratchet were particularly shocked.

The AllSpark?

Wasn't the AllSpark destroyed?

"It not that simple," Bumblebee whispered. "I'll explain later."

Cyborg then produced a teleporter and attached it to Optimus Prime palm.

"I'll load the AllSpark into the War Fortress energy core. This will allow you to access its power whenever you need it," Cyborg explained.

Anton turned to Optimus Prime.

"According to human astronomy, Cybertron should be in the Alpha Centauri system, orbiting Alpha Centauri A."

Optimus Prime provided Cybertron coordinates.

"Excellent. Safe travels."

Anton paused briefly before adding, "If I need anything, I'll get in touch."

"No need for formalities. Whatever you need, the Autobots will do everything we can to assist you," Optimus Prime assured him.

With the discussion concluded, Cyborg raised his hand slightly.

Standing within the War Fortress teleportation field, physical contact wasn't necessary to initiate the transfer.

The Autobots felt a sudden lightness as the spatial gateway above them pulled them in, instantly transporting them away.

Now, only Batman and Cyborg remained in the War Fortress.

The two exchanged a glance before Cyborg figure vanished.

Anton reverted from his Batman persona to his original form, exhaling deeply. He glanced at the system interface displaying his rewards.

[Mission Accomplished: eliminate Megatron. Reward: 10,000,000 Justice Points.]

[Current Justice Points Balance: 30,000,000.]

Anton beamed with joy.

This time, he had truly hit the jackpot!

Not only had he earned a massive amount of Justice Points, but he had also acquired the invaluable AllSpark from the Transformers.

It worth noting that the AllSpark could transform any machine into a sentient mechanical being.

However, Anton had no plans to use the AllSpark to transform his War Fortress, Batmobile, or any other equipment into mechanical lifeforms.

Mechanical beings had autonomy, which meant a level of unpredictability and uncontrollability.

While they could enhance combat capabilities, they would also add significant risks and potential liabilities, effectively locking Anton into constraints he didn't need.

In his view, it simply wasn't worth the trade-off.

The Autobots, on the other hand, needed the AllSpark because, after its loss, Cybertron resources were depleted.

They were forced to leave their home planet and roam the universe in search of planets or methods to replenish Cybertron resources.

With the AllSpark back in their possession, they now had the opportunity to revive Cybertron depleted resources.

This eliminated the threat of resource exhaustion altogether.

This was the real reason behind the Transformers' quest for the AllSpark—to rebuild Cybertron.

For this same reason, Megatron believed Optimus Prime plan to kill him and simultaneously destroy the AllSpark was an act of betrayal against both Cybertron and the Transformers.

Additionally, Anton collaboration with the Autobots wasn't solely about forming an alliance he had a broader vision.

Specifically, he intended to leverage Cybertronian technology to accelerate technological advancements on Earth.

In other words, establishing a "Wayne Enterprises" on Earth, spanning industries such as weapons manufacturing, biotechnology, clean energy, and more, was a highly feasible plan.

After all, Anton network now included not just the Autobots but also Bruce Banner and Curt Connors from the sewer lab, Donatello from the Ninja Turtles (a technology enthusiast), and even Osborn Industries and the now partly Anton-owned Stark Industries.

These were resources already at his disposal—why not use them?

…

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, at a seaside mansion:

Beep beep beep beep beep!

Tony Stark was hard at work building his latest big toy.

Ever since the recent alien invasion in New York humiliated him—not just in the city but before the entire nation, even the whole world—Iron Man had been determined to upgrade his suit combat capabilities.

He also updated J.A.R.V.I.S. core algorithms during this time.

For weeks, Tony had been holed up in his workshop, focused on building new armor.

Meanwhile, Stark Industries—reclaimed from Obadiah Stane—was now fully under the management of his assistant and current CEO, Pepper Potts.

Aside from catching a screening of Superman, Tony hadn't left his house even once.

Even Pepper was astonished at how the once-playboy had turned into a recluse obsessed with his "toys."

It was arguably the most shocking transformation of the 21st century.

In the Marvel Universe, Pepper observation wasn't wrong—this truly was one of the most surprising shifts of the century.

Ding ding ding!

Suddenly, J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted.

"Sir, Batman has surfaced again!"

J.A.R.V.I.S. reported, "I intercepted communications between the military and the White House mentioning Batman. I thought you might find this interesting."

The moment J.A.R.V.I.S. finished speaking, Tony dropped his tools and walked over to his console.

"Play the recorded audio."

Tony remained calm.

This was essentially eavesdropping on state secrets.

But who could blame him? They were using military satellite communications, after all.

In his recent bouts of anxiety and insecurity, Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. monitor military satellite signals, scanning all channels.

Of course, J.A.R.V.I.S. didn't record every bit of intercepted information—only data that matched keywords of interest to Tony, such as Justice League or Batman.

"'There a survivor… I'm Lennox… There was just an alien invasion at the Sector 7 base. They called themselves Decepticons and Autobots… The ones who attacked us were the Decepticons, and the ones who saved us were Batman, Cyborg, and the Autobots…'"

"'Decepticons, Autobots, Batman, and Cyborg… NBE-ONE and the AllSpark… NBE-ONE is the Decepticon leader, Megatron. He was killed by Cyborg… Their bodies might still be buried in the rubble…'"

Tony listened to the conversation, his eyes flashing with interest. He gave J.A.R.V.I.S. an order.

"Search for NBE-ONE, Decepticons, Autobots, AllSpark… and don't skip any military databases, including the Pentagon and… S.H.I.E.L.D. central database."

"Understood," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied as streams of data appeared before Tony.

"Decepticons, Autobots… No search results."

"AllSpark… No search results yet."

"NBE-ONE… NBE stands for Non-Biological Extraterrestrial. In the early 20th century, a Captain Witwicky discovered traces of NBE-ONE in a glacier. In 1934, NBE-ONE was transferred to the United States. Records indicate that NBE-ONE was the source of modern technology. Integrated circuits, lasers, spacecraft, automobiles—all were developed from studying it."

As J.A.R.V.I.S. finished, Tony looked visibly shocked.

The idea that modern technology originated from an alien being was nothing short of earth-shattering.

A non-biological extraterrestrial?

In simpler terms—mechanical life.

Tony narrowed his eyes, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind. He gave J.A.R.V.I.S. another command.

"Find recent strange news stories related to machines or intelligence, limited to within the United States."

This time, the scope of the search was far broader than just specific keywords.

After a half-hour of comparisons, J.A.R.V.I.S. found something noteworthy.

"There a case reported to the Los Angeles Police Department. Body cam footage from officers responding to a call by a Sam Witwicky, claiming his car could move and transform into a robot."

J.A.R.V.I.S. played a snippet of the footage, showing Sam surrounded by officers at the station, being questioned.

"Pull up Sam Witwicky home address and any surveillance footage from his area. Focus on his car—I want to see it."

Tony intrigue deepened.

J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly located Sam address and retrieved some recent footage.

"Apologies, sir. Surveillance data near Sam residence has been deleted," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.

"Based on footage from other nearby streets, it appears Sam was taken by a mysterious group… with Batman and Cyborg in the vehicle."

"Can the footage be recovered?" Tony asked calmly.

"I'm attempting to retrieve fragments," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. "I can only recover 2% of the content. Playing now."

What followed left Tony stunned.

The recovered footage showed Cyborg firing an energy cannon, directly confronting a massive robot the size of a small hill, armed with advanced technology and powerful weapons.

Boom!

The energy blast collided with the robot, creating a spectacular burst of sparks and flames.

Click-click-click!

The video abruptly froze for two seconds before transitioning to the next clip.

The second clip showed a yellow Camaro transforming into a towering robot on the street.

Standing before the robot was Cyborg, hovering mid-air.

Click!

The footage froze completely.

The second clip lasted less than four seconds. Combined, the two fragments were barely ten seconds long, yet they captivated Tony entirely.

Tony said nothing aloud.

But he fully understood what the so-called Autobots were now.

He also understood why military documents described NBE-ONE as the source of modern technology.

"Autobots?"

Tony turned to the half-finished Mark 7 armor in front of him, inspiration sparking in his mind.

Mark 7 suddenly felt outdated and uninteresting.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., remove Mark 7 from my workbench and log it as a prototype. Begin development on Mark 8. Tell me, that Audi R8… What do you think about turning it into armor?"

Tony eyes gleamed with excitement.

He suddenly realized—if Batman could have a Batmobile, why couldn't Iron Man have his own personal war vehicle?

"I think it an excellent idea, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

"Great. Break down the R8 internal structure and show it to me. I'm going to start designing Mark 8. This is going to be a much bigger project than before… and I can't wait!"

Tony nodded. "Also, get in touch with Rhodey. I need to see him."

J.A.R.V.I.S. inquired, "When should I schedule the meeting, sir?"

"Tomorrow! Make it tomorrow!" Tony replied firmly.

As he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. He frowned slightly but dismissed it as nothing serious.

He opened the virtual screen in front of him, excitedly preparing to sketch out his new designs.

What Tony didn't notice was that the veins on his neck were beginning to show faint signs of darkening.

Palladium poisoning!

The storyline was clearly still moving forward!

It wouldn't be long before Iron Man faced yet another low point in his life.

If Anton had known about this, he would have been gleefully watching the drama unfold.

After all, Tony Stark personality prior to The Avengers was far from amicable.

Even after The Avengers, Tony only began truly reflecting on his flaws after the events of Iron Man 3, when he witnessed the complete descent into darkness of Aldrich Killian, a man Tony himself had insulted and dismissed in the past.

Fate has a way of balancing the scales, and Tony would eventually taste the bitter fruits of the seeds he had sown.