C180 Alfred

C180 Alfred

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Returning to the Red Room, Peter flew Bee into the hangar. As the yellow Autobot ship touched down, Peter hopped out of the cockpit, and in a swift, fluid motion, Bee transformed back into his towering humanoid form, his servos and gears whirring with energy.

Peter started walking towards the hangar doors, fully aware that the Red Room wasn't exactly designed to accommodate giant robots like Bee. He glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see Bee awkwardly kneeling down, trying to crawl through the door behind him.

"Bee, what are you doing?" Peter chuckled, amused by the sight of the massive Autobot squeezing his shoulders through the doorframe, causing a metallic scraping sound as he tried to fit.

Bee's expressive blue eyes blinked with determination as he continued to push forward, his frame too large for the doorway.

Peter couldn't help but scoff out a quick laugh at the sight. "Sorry, buddy," he said, shaking his head with a grin. "But the Red Room's not exactly built for Cybertronians. You're going to have to stay in the hangar for now."

Bee hesitated, clearly unwilling to be left behind. "Can't I come with you?" he asked, his voice conveying a hint of disappointment.

Peter sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "Not this time, Bee. I promise I'll work on getting this place expanded as soon as I can. It seems like we'll be working with Cybertronians a lot more in the future, so we'll need to make some adjustments—bigger hallways, bigger rooms, you know, to make space for you and the others when they arrive."

Bee looked dejected but nodded in understanding. "Alright," he replied reluctantly, pulling back from the door. "I'll stay in the hangar for now."

"Thanks, Bee," Peter said with a reassuring smile. "In the meantime, can you get in touch with Optimus? Let him know about the Decepticons' arrival and their little robbery. That info could be vital to the Autobots. Also, try to find out how much longer it'll take for them to get here."

Bee straightened up, his massive form casting a long shadow across the hangar floor. "Understood," he said, his tone now more resolute. He turned and walked back into the hangar, the floor shaking slightly with each step.

...

Peter made his way through the winding corridors of the Red Room, his thoughts focused on finding Rocket. If anyone could figure out how to track down the Decepticons, it was Rocket. The raccoon was a tech genius and the brains of Peter's crew, though no one would give him the satisfaction of admitting it.

After a short search, Peter arrived at the security/control room, the heart of the Red Room's operations. Inside, he found Rocket, Teefs, Lylla, and Floor all busily engaged in upgrading the systems.

Rocket was clearly in charge, barking out instructions as he worked at the main console, his fingers flying over the keys with practiced ease.

"Teefs, run the diagnostics on those secondary circuits! Lylla, make sure the external sensors are calibrated—Floor, stop messing around with that wire, or you'll blow us all up!" Rocket snapped, his focus unbreakable as he worked.

Peter cleared his throat to get their attention. "Hey, Rocket, sorry to interrupt, but we've got a situation," he said, stepping further into the room. "We need to find the Decepticons. They've already hit Stark Industries and made off with some valuable items. Tony wasn't too pleased with what they stole either."

Rocket's ears perked up at the mention of the Decepticons, and he immediately turned his attention to the main console. "Alright, let's see what I can do," he grunted, his hands moving even faster across the controls. A large holographic image of the planet and its surrounding space appeared before them, displaying a detailed map of Earth and its orbit.

Floor, her curiosity piqued, tilted her head and asked, "What're you doing Rocket?"

Rocket, without taking his eyes off the console, replied, "Scanning the planet and its surroundings for any sign of their ship. If they came here in one, we'll find it." With a decisive tap, he initiated the scan, sending a sonar-like wave across the holographic image. It spread outwards, covering the entire representation of Earth and its surrounding space.

For a few tense moments, they watched as the wave expanded, but to their confusion, not a single signal appeared. Rocket frowned, his brow furrowing. "Nothing... Not a single blip," he muttered, perplexed.

Lylla glanced at the screen and offered, "Maybe they didn't come with a ship?"

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "Or perhaps they parked it further away," he added. "If they knew the Autobots were coming too, it would make sense to hide their ship. It'd be a prime target to strike, stranding them on the planet until they could fix it or build another."

Rocket grumbled, "Yeah, that makes sense. But it still doesn't help us find them. We need another plan." He paused, thinking hard. "We could try the AI..."

It was finally time to bring their new AI to life. Peter couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and anticipation. This AI was unlike anything they had ever created before, a culmination of their combined expertise and countless hours of work.

Rocket rolled his eyes, still not entirely on board with the AI's name. "Seriously, Quill? Alfred? Out of all the names, you went with that?"

Peter grinned, unbothered by Rocket's disapproval. "Yup, Assistant for Logic-based Functions and Real-time Evaluation and Decision-making. Alfred for short. Plus, it reminds me of the butler from Batman. Besides, if Tony gets to have Jarvis, I should get to have Alfred."

Rocket huffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah, whatever..."

Peter chuckled, his eyes focused on the console as the initialization bar slowly filled up. "Oh, come on, Rocket. You'll get used to it."

The screen flashed, and a voice—polite and refined—filled the room. "Good day, Master Quill. How may I be of service?"

Peter's grin widened. "See? Isn't he great? Alfred, this is Rocket. He'll be working with you too."

"Ah, Master Rocket," ALFRED's voice replied, calm and courteous. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. How may I assist you today?"

Rocket groaned softly but couldn't help a slight smirk from forming on his face. "Alright, alright, I'll admit the voice is kinda growing on me."

Peter laughed. "I knew you'd come around. Alright, Alfred, first things first—we need to run some diagnostics and make sure you're functioning properly. Just a few tests to get you warmed up."

"Understood, sir," Alfred responded promptly. "Commencing diagnostic tests now."

The room hummed softly as the AI began running through its internal checks, testing everything from its processing power to its ability to access various networks and databases.

Peter and Rocket watched closely, their eyes scanning the data as it streamed across the screen.

A few moments passed, and the tests came back positive—everything was working perfectly. Peter let out a sigh of relief, satisfied with the results. "Alright, Rocket, looks like we're good to go."

Rocket nodded, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Great. Let's see what this fancy butler can do. Alfred, your first assignment: use all available resources—internet, CCTV cameras, satellites, anything you can tap into—to locate an alien robot race currently hiding on Earth. They're called the Decepticons. Find them."

"Understood, Master Rocket," Alfred replied smoothly. "Beginning search protocol now. Utilizing global surveillance networks, hacking into private and public camera systems, monitoring energy signatures, and scanning satellite imagery for any unusual activity."

Peter watched as the holographic display updated, showing countless data points and lines of code as Alfred began its task. The AI moved swiftly, accessing various databases and systems with ease, its digital fingers reaching into the vast expanse of Earth's information network.

For a moment, the room was filled with the soft hum of machinery and the glow of the holographic screen. Peter and Rocket exchanged a glance, both feeling a mixture of excitement and anticipation. This was the moment they had been working towards—their AI was alive and already hard at work.

...

As Alfred continued to sift through vast amounts of data, the holographic display pulsed and flickered with streams of information, each line representing another network accessed, another camera tapped, and another satellite scanned.

Peter watched for a few moments, impressed by the AI's efficiency and speed, but he knew it would take some time for Alfred to cover every possible avenue.

"Looks like it's going to be a while," Peter said, turning to Rocket. "Keep an eye on things here. Let me know the second Alfred finds anything."

Rocket gave a mock salute, a grin spreading across his face. "You got it, Cap. We'll keep things under control. Go take a break or something."

Peter chuckled and headed toward the door, leaving Rocket, Teefs, Lylla, and Floor to monitor Alfred's progress.

As he stepped out into the corridor, Peter paused, eyes landing on a familiar figure. Leaning casually against the wall just outside the control room, her arms crossed and her expression one of irritation, was Natasha Romanoff.

A/N: 2519 words :)