"Sir, did you just say you want to tear down this Cadillac?"
Old Jack blinked hard, thinking he must've misheard.
If he was seeing this right, this was a Cadillac V-16—an ultra-rare classic. Practically a unicorn on wheels.
This guy had to be out of his mind.
"Yeah. Tear it down," Rorschach said coolly, no trace of hesitation. "Then put it back together. You're the best around, right, Jack? Shouldn't be a problem."
Jack scratched his head. "Sure, I can do it, but… why? If something's wrong, let me take a look first. Might not even need a full teardown."
"No need for diagnostics," Rorschach said, firm. "Just take it apart. I'll cover the full cost."
"It's not about the money." Jack hesitated. A weird feeling crept in—something wasn't right here. Was this guy trying to chop a stolen car? Dismantle it and move the parts under the radar?
That would be a huge problem.
"Ryan…" Jack glanced at his boss with a raised brow.
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. This whole situation was starting to smell fishy. He wasn't about to get caught up in something illegal—especially not for some mystery client with a pretty face and a creepy calm.
After a beat, Ryan shook his head. "I think you're better off trying another garage, sir."
Rorschach's face went still. His voice dropped a notch. "So you're telling me I came here for nothing?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Ryan stammered. "It's just—look, maybe there's a better fit for this kind of work, somewhere else…"
Rorschach didn't reply.
Instead, he turned, walked back to the car, and wrapped both arms around the Cadillac.
Then—without warning—he lifted the whole damn thing off the ground.
BOOM. BOOM.
The concrete shuddered as he carried the massive machine like it was a gym bag and dropped it right in front of Jack and Ryan.
"Holy—"
"What the hell?!"
Every mechanic in the place just stood there with their mouths open, like they'd just watched a tank get picked up by a high schooler.
"What is he?"
"Is that even possible?!"
"I think I'm gonna pass out…"
"I'm in a hurry," Rorschach said, brushing off his hands like it was no big deal. "So let's move it, Jack."
"S-Sure. I'll get started right away." Jack could barely speak. He looked like he was about to wet himself, but he grabbed his tools and shuffled forward anyway.
And then—
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
The Cadillac, lying still just seconds ago, started to move.
Panels shifted. Metal groaned. Parts began folding, spinning, locking into place with the screech of grinding steel.
It was like watching a high-speed machine nightmare unfold.
Within seconds, the entire car had reconfigured itself—into a towering robot, nearly twenty feet tall.
"You insignificant pest. Why do you insist on dying?" the machine growled, glaring down at Rorschach with glowing red optics.
"What the hell…?" Rorschach muttered. "Is this a damn Transformer?"
He genuinely didn't see that coming.
So this was the mysterious energy signature. Not in the car—the car was the energy source. A Decepticon, hiding in plain sight.
No wonder all his scans had come up empty.
The robot sneered. "You dare challenge me, insect? I'll grind you into dust!"
Chaos erupted around them.
"MONSTER!"
"ALIENS—THEY'RE HERE!"
"JESUS, SAVE US!"
Jack and Ryan were practically climbing over each other to get away, panic exploding through the shop like a bomb.
The Decepticon didn't care. "Useless humans. So loud. So fragile."
He raised one massive arm and swept it toward the crowd like he was swatting flies.
Old Jack and the rest of the mechanics froze. They didn't scream. They didn't move.
They were too terrified to even think.
But then—SWOOSH!
A blur moved in front of them.
Rorschach was already there, standing tall, one hand outstretched, catching the Decepticon's incoming fist.
CLANG!
A thunderous metal crash rang out—but the robot's arm stopped cold against Rorschach's palm.
Like someone had hit pause on reality.
Jack and Ryan stared, dumbfounded.
Rorschach was… holding it back. By himself.
A machine five times his size. A fist bigger than his head. And it couldn't move him an inch.
"Are you still standing there? It's not a damn vacation—run!" Rorschach barked.
That broke the spell. The humans scrambled like rats, sprinting for cover.
"Impossible!" the Decepticon hissed, its voice laced with disbelief. "Humans don't have this kind of strength!"
Rorschach cracked a grin. "Shocked already? That's just the beginning."
His foot slammed into the ground—BOOM—and he launched upward like a missile.
CRACK!
His fist smashed into the Decepticon's face with the force of a meteor strike.
KRA-KOOM!
The giant metal beast flew backward, slamming into the pavement like a wrecking ball, shaking the entire block.
Dust and smoke filled the air.
Jack, peeking out from behind a stack of tires, watched with his jaw hanging open.
"I… I think I just saw Superman."
He wasn't the only one.
Every mechanic who hadn't blacked out was staring at Rorschach now like he wasn't real.
And the Decepticon?
Flattened. For now.
But Rorschach knew better.
This wasn't over.