Mechanical Lifeform

"Jesus Christ!"

"What the hell is that?!"

"Rorschach, is this the mechanical... lifeform you were talking about? God!"

When Howard Stark arrived at the scene and saw the Decepticon's enormous body, he felt as though his entire worldview had been shattered.

He could hardly believe his eyes.

What era was this, after all?

Even the concept of robots was an extremely, extremely cutting-edge one!

Not to mention seeing such a gigantic "robot" with his own eyes.

The psychological impact it had on people was easy to imagine, even for someone like Howard Stark.

As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Howard Stark had brought along, there was no need to mention them. Every one of them stood there dumbfounded, looking like idiots.

But when he considered that such a massive robot had actually been killed by Rorschach, Howard Stark's heart began pounding fiercely.

How had Rorschach done it?

This was fucking outrageous!

That enormous thing probably could not have been handled even by deploying an entire army, could it?

Previously, Howard Stark, like Peggy Carter, had suspected that Rorschach might be a super-soldier created using Captain America's serum. But now, Howard Stark was certain that was not the case.

Because even if Captain America himself came back to life, he could not possibly have been this powerful.

But...

Where was its head?

The robot's massive torso and its severed right arm were both there, so why was the head missing?

Howard Stark swept his gaze over the scene. After searching carefully, he finally discovered that Rorschach was sitting on the head!

Rorschach was using it as a stool!

Well then.

Howard Stark did not know what to say.

This was a robot, a product that would revolutionize an era, yet Rorschach was treating it so casually?

He was far too unconcerned.

"Rorschach!"

After calming himself down, Howard Stark walked over to Rorschach.

His mind was full of questions. "What exactly is going on? You said over the phone that this robot transformed from my car. Sorry, but I really do not understand what that means."

It could not be helped. Cars and robots were fundamentally unrelated things, and it was quite difficult to connect the two.

"It means exactly what it says."

Rorschach stood up and dusted off his pants. "This enormous mechanical lifeform you see is the Cadillac you gave me."

"Sorry, Rorschach, let me get this straight. You're saying that the Cadillac you just drove away was actually a robot?"

Howard Stark felt like his brain was not quite enough for this.

Because it sounded completely illogical.

First of all, that car had been sitting in his garage for years. It was a car, not a robot.

Second, even if that Cadillac really was a robot, who would have so much free time that they would build a robot in the form of a car?

"Mr. Stark, come with me."

Rorschach led Howard Stark to the Decepticon's enormous "corpse" and found an emblem on it. "Take a look. What is this?"

Howard Stark looked and, damn, it really was the Cadillac logo!

And after Rorschach pointed it out, Howard Stark truly noticed that the robot seemed to be entirely red, the same color as his Cadillac!

Could this robot have been made by Cadillac's manufacturer?

Was Cadillac's manufacturer really that incredible?

"Sir, I've already looked into the situation."

At that moment, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came over to report to Howard Stark. "The witnesses at the auto repair shop said that Mr. Rorschach intended to dismantle a Cadillac, and then the car suddenly transformed into a huge robot."

Their account was exactly the same as Rorschach's.

Howard Stark fell silent.

Although the matter sounded bizarre, everyone's account matched. That was highly telling.

And Rorschach had no reason to make up such a flawed lie to deceive him.

There was no point in it.

Moreover, Howard Stark was no ordinary person. He knew that there truly were some unknown things in this world that defied common sense.

So although he still had some doubts, he chose to believe what Rorschach had said.

"Rorschach, it seems I'll have to take up some more of your time. Could I trouble you to come to the office? I have a lot of questions."

After thinking it over, Howard Stark spoke seriously to Rorschach.

"Of course. That won't be a problem."

Rorschach readily agreed.

He had originally intended to use this opportunity to reveal some relevant information to Howard Stark.

It would make the other man's investigation easier.

To put it more bluntly, it would allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the AllSpark sooner.

Very soon.

Howard Stark arranged for personnel to transport the massive Decepticon remains back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

Rorschach once again followed Howard into Room 218.

There, Rorschach told Howard Stark the full details of what had happened.

After meticulously recording everything, Howard Stark identified several points of doubt.

He stared into Rorschach's eyes and asked in a low voice, "So, Rorschach, this was why you insisted on taking that Cadillac, right?"

Previously, Howard Stark had thought Rorschach was merely acting like a child, getting carried away at the sight of a nice car.

But now, Howard Stark knew it could not have been that simple.

That Cadillac had been in his possession for nearly ten years without incident, yet it transformed on the very first day it reached Rorschach's hands?

There was no such coincidence.

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Rorschach did not deny it, because it truly was a huge logical flaw.

But since he had already decided to come clean to Howard Stark, Rorschach had naturally prepared an explanation.

"When I was in the garage, I sensed that there was something unusual about that car."

Rorschach spoke to Howard Stark with a serious expression.

"Unusual?" Howard Stark was somewhat confused. "I don't understand, Rorschach. What do you mean by unusual?"

Was it not just an ordinary car?

"I sensed a life force from it. I knew that although it looked like a car, it was actually a lifeform."

"A lifeform? Wait a moment."

Howard Stark was confused again. "You mean a lifeform with life in it, like animals and plants?"

"That's right, Mr. Stark. Although it is a machine, it is also a lifeform." Rorschach nodded heavily. "It may even have DNA."

Only then did Howard Stark realize that from beginning to end, Rorschach had described that robot as a "mechanical lifeform."