Transformers: Age of Extinction rewrite

Chapter 5: KSI

We then cut to the next day where we get a shot of Mission City, Nevada which has been turned into a bustling high-tech metropolis in the 10 years since the Decepticon invasion thanks to the KSI corporation's technological innovations such as magnetic transportaion, hologram tech, VR arcades, and most importantly robotics which have become part of everyday life here, and smack-dab in the center of the city is the KSI tower, which the CEO of the company Joshua Joyce in a holographic billboard describes as the place where the future happens now. we then cut to Joshua Joyce driving up to the KSI tower in his vintage Rolls Royce before exiting the vehicle where he is greeted at the door by a KSI security robot who says "welcome back, Mr. Joyce" before entering the building where he is greeted this time by the company's lead roboticist Isaac Sumdac who asks Joyce how his business trip to China went. Joyce tells Sumdac that it went swell before the eccentric Indian man informs Joyce that he got a call from Mr. Attinger of Cemetery Wind saying he wants to speak to him. Joyce tells Sumdac to put him on the phone followed by Joyce having a heated discussion with Attinger over the phone. Attinger informs Joyce that one of his spy drones went offline, followed by Joyce telling Attinger "KSI is not responsible for what you meathead guerillas do with our tech, we just make the tech, patent it, and sell it to the highest bidder that's all". Savoy informs Attinger that it appears the drone has come back online before showing recorded footage on his computer of Cade Yeager sending a recorded message to all of Cemetery Wind: the Autobots are coming for them. Attinger furious over their tech getting stolen by some wannabe inventor from Texas loses his patience and breaks the pencil in his hand before demanding Joyce to tell him what the progress on Project: Chimaera is. a panicked Joyce then turns his head to Isaac Sumdac and yells at the poor scientist to get him Chip Chase and Elise Presser. we then cut to Chip Chase in his personal lab sitting in his wheelchair working on a pair of experimental robotic leg braces while Wheelie watches. Wheelie beeps and boops at Chip concerned for his human creator, and Chip tells Wheelie that he's not obsessed telling the little robot that he'll never understand what it's like to one day have debris fall on you in the line of duty and get paralyzed from the waist down as a permanent reminder of that emotionally-scarring experience for the rest of your life. but with these experimental leg bracelets that he's been spending the past 10 years trying to perfect, he'll finally be able to walk again. Chip then attaches the bracelets to his legs and finally musters up the courage to step out of his wheelchair and test out the leg braces. Chip is exhilarated to finally be able to move his legs again, only for his hopes and dreams to come crashing down when the braces malfunction causing poor Chip to collapse on the ground and scream in pain shouting "NOT AGAIN!" followed by Elise entering the lab to help Chip back into his wheelchair. Elise removes the busted leg braces from Chip's legs, asking Chip why he keeps doing this to himself, saying that for the past 10 years it's been one failed invention after another just so he can have his legs back. Chip reminds Elise that the whole reason why they joined KSI in the first place was to put their intellects to good use to help mankind, and there just so happen to be several other people just like himself who've lost their ability to walk and that with his inventions they can finally be able to use their legs again. Elise calls out Chip by telling him that it seems more like he's just trying to help himself more than those in need while wheelie zips around and starts beeping and booping like crazy. Isaac Sumdac then enters the room to inform Chip and Elise that Mr. Joyce has requested their presence. Elise and Chip are both escorted by Sumdac into the lobby of the KSI tower where Joshua Joyce tells the two that their benefactor Harold Attinger wants to know about the progress on Project: Chimaera. Elise informs Joyce that progress on Project Chimaera is going according to schedule, however they're still short-handed by one due to Chip constantly getting distracted by his "personal pet project". Joyce gives Chip a disapproving look before telling Attinger that progress is still being made. Attinger tells Joyce that those robots better be up and running soon, as he's beginning to grow impatient. Attinger reveals to Joyce that it appears the missing drone has been stolen and reprogrammed by a civilian, some wanna-be inventor from Texas. not only that, but Optimus Prime has returned after going missing for 10 years and the one who stole the drone is helping him and his little space buddies form a resistance against Cemetery Wind. he goes on to say that Cemetery Wind needs KSI's assets now more than ever if they are to crush the alien menace once and for all. Joyce asks Attinger "whatever happened that little transformer attack dog of yours?" followed by Attinger telling Joyce that Lockdown has a mind of his own, he can't be controlled that easily. plus he's a bounty hunter meaning he'll only remain loyal as long as they pay him so Joyce better finish production on those robots, or else their deal is off. once Attinger hangs up Joyce is shaken with fear before we cut to Optimus, Bumblebee, Drift, Crosshairs, and Bulkhead driving through downtown mission with Cade riding in Optimus and Tessa riding in Bumblebee. the Yeagers look out of Optimus and Bumblebee's vehicle modes admiring how technologically-advanced the city has become. Bumblebee comments on how Mission City has changed a lot since the last time he's been here, with Optimus reminding Bumblebee that the last time they were here was 10 years ago, a lot has changed in the past decade. Tessa looks out of Bumblebee's window to see a holographic billboard broadcasting news coverage of Optimus Prime's return and escape from Cemetery Wind in Texas along with his battle with Lockdown hosted by Shawn Berger who yet again slams the Autobots on air calling them "dangerous alien fugitives" which makes Bumblebee mad. Mr. Berger then reports that the Autobots are being helped by a human from rural Texas named Cade Yeager and his daughter Tessa Yeager who now have bounties on their heads for being Transformer sympathizers and that if anyone sees them report to Cemetery Wind immediately. the Yeagers are then pulled over by a KSI security robot who asks for Cade Yeager's ID, followed by Bumblebee telling Optimus that they should get out of here now saying that their cover's blown. the Autobots make a U-turn with Optimus running over the security robot crushing its head with his big ol' truck tires followed by the team driving past Mission City park where we see a group of rebellious teenagers defacing the statue of the original team prime with graffiti, spray-painting the words "ILLEGAL ALIENS", "WAR CRIMINALS", "SHAWN BERGER WAS RIGHT", "THIS IS OUR WORLD NOT YOURS", and "E.T. GO HOME" all over the statues of Optimus, Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide in big colorful letters. one of the teenagers recognizes the Autobots in their vehicle modes and whips out his phone to call Cemetery Wind. a Cemetery wind agent receives the call and deploys a squadron of armed drones from the back of his truck which proceed to chase the Autobots through Mission City and shoot at the Autobots who try their best to dodge the fire, Bumblebee saying "scrap! I knew we should have scanned new vehicle modes" followed by Crosshairs and Bulkhead both transforming into their robot modes with Crosshairs whipping out his Sniper Rifle and Bulkhead whipping out his minigun to buy our heroes some time to escape. the two green Autobots take aim, Crosshairs taking out the drones on the left with his sniper rifle one-by-one while Bulkhead takes the drones on the right all at once with a barrage of bullets from his minigun while shouting "wreck and rule!" before transforming back into their vehicle modes to re-join the others. Drift scolds both Bulkhead and Crosshairs over intercom for transforming in front of civilians, reminding him that they're supposed to be robots in disguise. Bulkhead politely says "we're sorry" while Crosshairs responds by snarkily telling Drift to just shut up and drive. the Autobots then finally arrive at the KSI building followed by Cade sending out Sparkplug to follow a KSI scientist walking out of the building before electrocuting the guy knocking him out cold. Cade then steps out of Optimus and starts undressing the unconscious man with Tessa asking her dad what the heck he's doing. Cade then puts on the man's KSI uniform lab coat and all before putting the man's glasses on as the finishing touch before telling Tessa that he plans on sneaking in to find out exactly what KSI is doing with those dead Autobots and what the heck Project: Chimaera is before telling her to stay put and for Bumblebee to keep her safe until he gets back. Tessa rolls her eyes, telling her dad that she's not a little kid anymore however Cade ignores her and enters the building with Sparkplug hitching a ride in Cade's pocket. Cade is then stopped in his tracks by a security robot who asks Cade for his ID, cade rolling his eyes saying "not this again" before showing the ID card of the man he got the uniform from. the robot scans the ID and says "Identity confirmed: KSI Intern Robert Budiansky" followed by Cade breathing a sigh of relief. Joyce then walks in and shakes Cade's hand before introducing himself, saying "you must be the new intern, I'm Joshua Joyce, CEO of Kinetic Solutions Incorporated. so what was your name again mister..." Cade cuts him off and says "Budiansky, Robert Budiansky. I'm an aspiring inventor from Texas, here to apply as a roboticist for Project Chimaera sir". Joyce places his hand on Cade's shoulder and gives him a warm welcome before taking him down the elevator down to KSI's secret underground laboratory where Cade gets a glimpse on a group of scrap collectors strip-mining the severed head of the deceased Decepticon titan Trypticon. Cade is in awe of the sheer size of the enormous kaiju-like head, followed by Joyce giving a speech to Yeager: "In 2007 we learned we were no longer alone in the universe, alien lifeforms with bodies comprised entirely of metal, capable of changing shape at will hiding among us, waging a centuries-old galactic civil war for the fate of the planet! the world changed forever that year, and in the next five years that war kept escalating, eventually dragging us technologically-inferior humans into the conflict. but then in 2012 the cybertronian war came to an end, the Decepticons were destroyed and the Autobots won. It was then I discovered that the technology they left behind after the end of the war, the weapons, the ships, even the bodies of the transformers themselves, were the key to unlocking the next step in human evolution: the age of cybernetics! and lo and behold, 10 years later we're now living in the future". however before Cade can say anything the elevator suddenly stops meaning they've finally arrived at the bottom floor. Joyce then escorts Cade off the elevator and tells him that what he is about to see is top-secret, meaning what KSI is doing down here can never be revealed to the public or else the whole company and their whole operation would be put at risk. Joyce then escorts Cade through a hallway with the words "CAUTION: RESTRICTED AREA" painted on the side before telling Cade "this is where the magic happens" before entering a code into his phone that opens a secret door followed by the two entering the laboratory of Project: Chimaera. Cade is shocked to see several workers taking apart the corpses of dead Decepticons including the Seekers, Shockwave, and a whole bunch of faceless Decepticon drones that were recovered from the battle of Mission City 10 years ago and placing the dismembered transformer parts onto a conveyor belt. Joyce explains to Cade that for the past 10 years KSI has been pushing the boundaries of technological innovation by reverse-engineering Cybertronian tech in secret. everything that has turned Mission City into a vision of the future be it advanced robotics, magnetic transportaion, hologram technology, virtual reality is all thanks to the bodies of dead Decepticons provided to the company by their good friends at Cemetery Wind. Sparkplug sticks his head out of Cade's pocket and videotapes Joyce's speech with his camera eyes along with the process of taking apart transformer corpses broadcasting the whole thing to the Autobots and Tessa who is disturbed while at the same time questioning what KSI is doing with those dead transformers. Cade then turns his head to see Ratchet's body among the corpses being dissected and tells Joyce "that one over there wasn't a Decepticon, that's an Autobot". Joyce becomes suspicious of Cade and asks him how he knows, and Cade covers himself by saying "I saw the insignia". Joyce then tells Cade "Decepticon, Autobot, doesn't make any difference to me. they're all made of the same stuff after all" in a passive-aggressive manner all the while Cade gives a sorrowful look. Joyce then takes cade into the next room where the conveyor belt drops the dead transformer parts into an incinerator to be melted down. Cade is horrified to see the severed head of Ratchet fall into the incinerator along with the body parts of other dead transformers before melting into liquid metal to be poured into molds in the shape of robot parts. Joyce explains to cade that this room is where the alien metal is melted down. Cade asks him "melted down for what?" and Joyce responds by telling him "I'll show you" before escorting him into the next room where we see the newly-made robot parts being put together by a bunch of extendable robo-arms before a test pilot hops inside the cockpit to take it for a test drive transforming from robot to vehicle and back to robot. Joyce applauds while shouting "bravo! bravo!" while Cade looks around to see an entire assembly line of these man-made abominations before Joyce introduces Cade to the brains behind Project Chimaera: KSI's lead roboticist Isaac Sumdac. the two shake hands while Joyce tells Sumdac "this is our new Intern, Mr. Robert Budiansky. he's an inventor from Texas applying for a position as part of the crew". Isaac is enthusiastic to have another scientist working on the project, saying that they could use another brilliant mind to help change the world before welcoming him aboard. Cade then turns his head to Joyce and asks him "so let me get this straight, Cemetery Wind is out there killing Transformers so that your little band of mad scientists can take their bodies apart and melt them down to make more Transformers?" followed by Sumdac saying "actually yes" only for Joyce to put his hand on Sumdac's mouth to tell him to shut it. Joyce explains to cade "the goal of Project Chimaera is to create the perfect blend of man and machine, fully-functioning automatons built in the likeness of a transformer but operated by a human pilot. I call them Vehicons, that name tested the best with the focus groups" only for Isaac Sumdac to open his mouth and say "I kinda liked the name go-bots" which gets him comically smacked upside the head by Joyce who tells him "quiet you" before showing off the different models of Vehicons: the mass-produced vehicons which transform into red BMW i8s and are modeled after the Secepticon battlechargers Runamuck and Runabout, the air combat vehicon prototype (codenamed Jetstorm) which transforms into an F-15 eagle fighter jet and modelled after the Decepticon Starscream, and the land combat vehicon prototype (codenamed Tankor) which transforms into a TOS-1a buratino and is modelled after the Decepticon Demolishor. meanwhile Tessa is shocked by what she sees on the footage recorded by Sparkplug, saying "they're killing off the real Autobots, so that they can build their own fake ones". Bumblebee comforts Tessa over intercom, assuring her that they'll find a way to put a stop to this once and for all she just got to have faith in her father. Joyce places his hand on Cade's shoulder and asks Cade what he thinks of the robots, and Cade tells him "cool" in a nervous tone. Joyce laughs and tells Cade "that's the spirit, it's like you're part of the team already" showing that he has taken a liking to Cade due to seeing a bit of himself in him. Joyce then tells Isaac Sumdac to show "Mr. Budiansky" to the think tank. Sumdac then escorts Cade into the next room where we see the two Autobot scientists Wheeljack and Perceptor inside a futuristic prison cell operating on the severed head of Megatron connected to a cable that transfers the data Wheeljack and Perceptor extract from Megatron's brain into nearby computers for a bunch of KSI scientists to decipher and program into the KSI-made robots while a bunch of heavily-armed KSI security robots stand guard with weapons at the ready, Isaac explaining to Cade that this is the think tank where KSI creates the programming code for their robots using data extracted from the head of the Decepticon leader Megatron recovered during the aftermath of the battle of Mission City. Cade asks Sumdac who the two Autobots are, and Isaac Sumdac introduces Cade to Wheeljack and Perceptor telling him that they're Autobot scientists helping KSI with the extraction process along with contributing their knowledge of Cybertronian anatomy to the designing and programming of the robots as well. Perceptor speaks out and tells Sumdac "helping? being held captive and being forced against our will sounds more appropriate. we're practically slaves here" followed by Perceptor being electrocuted. Isaac tries to distract Cade by introducing him to Chip and Elise who ask Isaac Sumdac who the new guy is. Isaac then introduces the two of them to "Robert Budiansky" while also introducing Cade to the husband-and-wife science duo of Chip Chase and Elise Presser. Cade looks at Chip's wheelchair and asks him "so what's up with the wheelchair?" followed by Elise butting in to tell Cade it's something he'd rather not talk about. Chip tells Elise that it's fine before telling Cade that he had an accident during the battle of Mission City 10 years ago that left him completely paralyzed from the waist down. Cade feels sorry for Chip, telling him that his wife died in Mission City. Chip tells Cade "sorry for your loss, I guess this war has left permanent scars on all of us". Wheeljack then bangs on the walls on the prison cell and begs for Chip to come to his senses and set him free only for him to get electrocuted. Chip tells Wheeljack "I'm sorry, but I can't trust your kind anymore after taking away my legs. if you hadn't brought your war to Earth, I'd still be able to walk". Wheeljack is heartbroken by Chip's words, all the while Percecptor rushes to Wheeljack's aid to remind his old science buddy that it's no use, they've been trapped here for over 10 years so it's best to just give up. Elise tells Cade to excuse Chip, saying that he and Wheeljack have a history, saying that the two of them were partners back when the Autobots and Decepticons were feuding on Earth. Cade asks her if she had a partner, and Elise tells him that her partner was Blurr, she hasn't seen him since the war ended and doesn't know where he is now but she misses him very much. Cade gives Elise a sorrowful look remembering the footage he saw on the drone and tells her "he's dead, killed by Cemetery Wind" which causes Elise's heart to sink, saying "that can't be true, Joyce told us that Cemetery wind only kills Decepticons". Chip looks at Cade with suspicion and tells "Mr. Budiansky" that he doesn't trust him before noticing Sparkplug sticking its little head out of Cade's pocket. meanwhile Bumblebee is shocked to see his old buddy Wheeljack on the surveillance footage, followed by Tessa asking Bumblebee if he knows who those two Autobots are. Bumblebee tells Tessa that Wheeljack was one of the members of team prime but he doesn't know who the only one is. Optimus then suddenly transforms into robot mode and cocks his gun saying "those monsters must be stopped!" before marching towards the KSI building. Tessa steps out of the car followed by Bumblebee transforming into robot mode to tell Optimus to wait, however Optimus tells Bumblebee "you can't stop me, so don't bother" followed by Crosshairs, Drift, and Bulkhead transforming into their robot modes to watch as Optimus storms into the KSI building, blowing up the security robot standing at the door. Isaac Sumdac goes up the elevator to see what all the commotion is coming from and is shocked to see an angry Optimus Prime staring him down. Optimus then points his giant gun at Isaac Sumdac who gets down on his knees and begs for his life, saying "stop stop don't shoot! I've got an eight-year old daughter waiting for me at home!" followed by Optimus demanding Isaac Sumdac to tell him where the location of KSI's secret lab is. Sumdac tells Optimus that it's in an underground bunker underneath the KSI tower while begging for Optimus to let him live. Optimus lowers his weapon and spares Isaac before blowing a hole in the floor with his Ion blaster before leaping down the hole. Bumblebee, Crosshair, Drift, and Bulkhead then crash through the windows of the KSI building and land in front of a frightened Isaac Sumdac. Bumblebee asks him where Optimus went, and Sumdac points at the hole in the ground. we then cut to Optimus Prime landing in KSI's underground laboratory blowing up robots on the assembly line left and right with his Ion blaster while KSI scientists run and scream in panic. Joyce notices the angry Optimus marching through the lab and runs for his life hiding in the think tank where he informs Cade, Chip, and Elise that Optimus is here, saying that he has no idea how the Autobots found KSI's secret lab. Chip interjects telling Joyce that he thinks their new Intern is a spy before pulling Sparkplug out of Cade's pocket. Joyce examines the drone and looks at the serial number recognizing it as the drone that went missing before realizing that Cade's been spying on them this entire time. Cade then takes his glasses off and admits that his name is not Robert Budianski it's Cade Yeager and he's an ally of the Autobot resistance. Wheeljack is ecstatic, banging his fist on the window of his cell telling Joyce that he's in big trouble now. Optimus then bursts through the wall and points his gun at Joyce, telling the KSI CEO that he will pay for the desecration of his fallen brothers all the while Cade, Chip, and Elise hide behind debris. Joyce laughs, telling him "Desecration? you seriously expect me to just let you waste all that precious alien metal by putting it in the ground? your bodies are made of living technology, and that technology now belongs to us. we can make you now, don't you get it? we don't need you anymore, my company has created an entire private army of transforming battle machines to defend mankind against extraterrestrial threats, such as yourselves". Optimus points his ion blaster closer to Joyce's face, shouting "we're not technology! we're living beings with a soul, just as you humans are". Wheeljack is shocked to see Optimus holding Joyce at gunpoint, telling Perceptor "I've never seen Optimus act like this before, the Optimus Prime I know would never threaten the life of a human". Perceptor ponders for a bit and comes to the conclusion that he must be in a state of extreme emotional unrest. the security robots come to Joyce's aid and point their guns at Optimus only for Bumblebee, Crosshairs and Drift to arrive on the scene to whip out their weapons and go on the attack: Bumblebee destroys one drone with his plasma blaster, Crosshairs blows one up with his pistols, drift slices one in half with his katanas, and Bulkhead smashes the last one with his wrecking ball followed by Wheeljack rooting for Bumblebee and the team to show those cheaply-made tin cans who's boss while Perceptor crosses his arms and rolls his eyes at Wheeljack's over-enthusiasm. Bumblebee then shorts out the facility's security system with an electric shock from his stingers setting both Perceptor and Wheeljack free followed by Wheeljack giving Bumblebee a bro-hug happy to see his old teammate again after all these years before introducing 'bee to his new science-bro Perceptor who facepalms and tells Wheeljack "I told you to stop calling me that!" Bumblebee then turns his head to see Optimus holding Joyce at gunpoint. Bumblebee then shouts "Optimus no!" and rushes towards Prime grabbing his arm stopping him from killing Joyce. Tessa then arrives on the scene and rushes to her dad to hug him, happy to see him okay. Optimus then looks at the sorrowful look on Bumblebee's face before turning his head to the frightened Joyce lying on the ground helpless, remembering Bumblebee's words causing him to have a change of heart and drop his weapon. Chip and Elise then come out of hiding to help Joyce back up on his feet, both shocked to see Bumblebee again. Bumblebee is shocked to see both of them, shouting "Chip? Elise? you're working for KSI now?" followed by Bulkhead asking Bumblebee "you know these two, 'bee?" followed by Bumblebee telling Bulkhead they used to be friends of his. Wheeljack tells Bumblebee that Chip betrayed him and sold him out to KSI when he joined Joyce's screwed-up science fair club after the battle of Mission City. Drift and Crosshairs both stare at Megatron's head with Crosshairs asking "Is that what I think it is?" followed by Drift saying "Impossible... the head of Megatron". Bumblebee calls out chip for his betrayal, asking him "Chip... how could you?" and Chip retaliates by telling the yellow Autobot "I had to. after the battle of Mission City I was left crippled and traumatized, and then KSI gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. with their advanced technology, I finally had the chance to fix my legs. besides there's no harm in being part of Project: Chimaera, our robots were all made from Decepticon corpses after all". Sparkplug then lands in Cade's hand followed by Cade telling them "think again". before playing the footage of Blurr's death. Elise is shocked to see that Cade was telling the truth, shedding a tear as she watches the footage of Blurr's body being torn apart by KSI agents to be loaded into the transport trucks and taken away to be melted down. Chip then switches to footage of Ratchet's death followed by Chip also watching in horror. Cade then tells the science couple "Cemetery Wind didn't hesitate to kill humans either, our friend Kicker is dead because of them" pulling out Kicker's blood-stained ID. Chip looks at the ID and says to himself "Kicker... is dead?" while comforting a crying Elise who exclaims "they lied to us... HE lied to us!" while looking at Joyce. Optimus then turns his back on the humans and tells the team "Autobots... we're done here" and walks away with Bumblebee, Crosshairs, Drift, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Perceptor following suit. Chip notices the address of S.T.A.R.S. HQ at the bottom of the blood-stained ID before Cade swipes it out of his hand before he and Tessa leave with the Autobots while Chip and Elise are left behind to contemplate their actions. we then cut to the seven Autobots in their vehicle modes leaving Mission City before driving down the highway on their way to Washington (Wheeljack retains the white-and-green Mustang mode from the original trilogy while Perceptor is a red Mercedes-Benz funmog). however little do our heroes know they are being watched from above by the Death's head hidden under a cloaking device. Lockdown sits in the ship's cockpit watching intensely at the Autobots from the ship's computer while petting one of his turbofoxes. Lockdown then presses a button that launches a tracking device from the ship that attaches itself to the back of Optimus's vehicle mode with Lockdown saying "I've got you now, my prey..." while the turbofox chews on a piece of scrapmetal.