In a dark room, the only source of light from a low overhanging lamp, a mech sat hunched over a desk; his plating filthy and optics dull. He dragged a cube from across the desk and brought it to his lips, tipping his head back and ex-venting harshly at the sensation of cool energon running down his pipe; a feeling that he had not had the pleasure of experiencing in quite some time.
"Startup for visual transmission"
A small, bright screen flicked online to the right of the exhausted mech,
2300 HRS
OPEN LINK TYPE
START TRANSMISSION?
He nodded to himself, taking another drink, "Start Transmission, Polyhex and any receiving communication lines." A loading bar made its way across the screen, blinking a few times before a camera came online in front of him. He vented deeply and began.
TRANSMITTING TO [POLYHEX TOWER]
Haven't done one of these in a few days...couldn't find stable equipment, so I apologize for that. Hopefully we'll be stopped here for a bit longer and I can take what equipment I need for other transmitters. I've started recording these as well while transmitting because, who knows, they might come in handy some day.
It's now been 29 days since the virus first started –not sure if you can even call it that- it's now plainly obvious that this is not a regular virus that can be cured with a simple system cleanser or firewall upgrade.
It's programmed…differently than any others I've ever come across.
With standard viruses, they're passed to others by interaction through intimate energy field or access port interfacing but, with this one, it's passed through direct contact. Meaning, it has to go directly in your systems in order for it to become active; if it doesn't make contact with your energon you're fine and it stays dormant. Those who are infected have done this by biting through plating, clawing through wires, and purging. Once anyone has contracted the virus, on average, they have 11 hours before their systems shut down and they offline…and then come back as mindless drones, "hungry" for Cybertronian metal. The longest recorded period before turning was 33 hours and that happened to a Brute –who are much, much, more powerful and resilient and this data should not be trusted on an average bot- while the longest period under my care was eight. So it varies depending on the bot.
The first systems to go are usually any that have to do with cleansing. Primarily, the optic cleansers. This results in energon, darker than normal due to lack of cleanser, oozing from optics. Usually when an infected has reached the 2 hour mark other crevices within the bots frame will start oozing energon.
Second thing to fail is the vocalizer. It is gradual but, static starts seeping into your sentences; your words become slurred and eventually you can't be understood. The vocalizer usually completely shuts down around 5 hours. There have been some mechs under my care that their systems have skipped this part of the shut down process.
The third thing to shut down is mobility. Your wires seize up and become ridged…With every move of your joints, pain shots up that limb. Many mechs that come to this stage and don't lose consciousness say it feels as if they're made of glass that keeps shattering over and over again. This usually happens around the 7-8 hour mark.
The fourth and final thing that fails before total shut down is the fuel pump. This happens in the final hour and is very quick. There's not much to say about this stage. They just slowly fade away…Unless you completely skip this stage. Some do depending on the condition their systems were in prior to the virus and how much how of the virus was transferred to them.
They then completely offline and wake sometime later.
No one has any idea why the infected eat the fallen. It doesn't seem like they need any substance to keep going because, well, like I said, they're just drones now. Fast, but, drones nonetheless. I've seen some with little or no energon at all still stumbling through the roads.
What I have noticed is that the longer they're up the slower they go. Newly infected, for example, are extremely fast and have been deemed "Racers" –very clever, I know, I'll bet my next cube that Swerve came up with it- And if one of them find you, you're royally fragged. Their senses are sharp and almost superior to the living bots'; the only way to get off their trail is to either climb a building or shoot them down.
Speaking of which, they can only be taken down by a shot to the spark. Two, just to be safe. The virus must be centered there, it's…source, if you will. Again, no one knows why. But seeing how they are no longer actual "beings" I'd say it's because their spark isn't theirs any more and only comes back to keep them going and a few main processors only – Thank Primus for small miracles – And the virus only brings certain systems online.
Shooting them in certain areas will slow them down as well but not by much, your best bet is to go for the head and if you can't do that, go for the legs. They'll keep dragging themselves towards you but at least they're slower.
But again, as I stated before, they get slower the longer they've been up. They start decomposing, I suppose, rust sets in very quickly seeing as how, technically, they're deactivated.
…I've had a couple cubes of high grade if you couldn't already tell by my obvious deterioration of organized speech throughout this recording. Our group was lucky and found an abandoned energon refinery that still had some operational housing. One can hardly blame me for drinking a little more than I should.
I don't know what else to say, really. We lost Gearwind yesterday. It was my turn to shoot. He pleaded for me not to shoot, that he was OK and he wouldn't turn because he still needed to reach his bondmate…Primus, I wish he hadn't have said that, it made it even harder than it already was.
I wasn't just taking his life…I was…
So our group, including myself, is now down to eight: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Red Alert, Skywarp, Skyfire and Perceptor. We picked up Skywarp on our way through Praxis. Found him surrounded by infected. We couldn't just leave him there, to be torn apart by those things…and, in this day in age, what good would come in leaving him anyway? One less Decepticon to take care of? Heh, no.
There are no Autobots or Decepticons.
There is only Us and Them.
Been no sign of Prime or Megatron, either. No sign of anyone, really. Skywarp was the first mech we'd seen in a couple days. If Prime is still functioning he'd probably look towards Iacon and hole up in the Hall of Records… that is, if it's still standing.
...
He's fine though, of course, why wouldn't he be? Ironhide and Sideswipe –please, Primus, let Sideswipe be OK- and Bluestreak are probably with him; Warpath, too. They're all fine, they have to be.
...
I think it's time I sign off, seems the high grade is really starting to take effect. I don't know when I'll send another transmission; there's probably no one listening anymore. To be honest, I think I do this for my own sanity.
If there are any of you listening to this…I pray to Primus for your safety…
Till All Are One.
Former Autobot CMO, Ratchet, Signing off.
[END TRANSMISSION]
000000000000_000038484ndhd_HD_88899200
skj359wek
setup transmission?
Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I don't own shit. I own the ideas in the story. That's it.
Tell me what u think of this chapter, yea? it would really help a bot out! I'm also not sure what universe I want this in so...helping me pick would be great I'm thinking IDW designs or Primeverse...but I think, as far as characterization, I'd do better with IDW.