Prompt 11: Prowl (Zombie)
Summary: A year ago deadly virus has spread over Cybertron and Prowl is simply trying to survive.
Less than a year ago there had been an infestation of space barnacles on the planet Cybertron. It struck Iacon first, the citizens suddenly falling ill to an organic virus that had no known cure. The city had to be quarantined but it spread like wild fire. The infected slowly lost their minds as the space barnacles devoured more of their bodies, using them as their own, like a parasite. Within a few weeks most of the planet had been infected, and those who weren't, we're fighting to stay alive.
Prowl had been on the move none stop for the last few days now. He had been travelling from deserted city to deserted city, scavenging for supplies and a safe place to recharge for the night. Instead he found hordes of zombies on every corner.
"This is getting tedious," Prowl growled as he jumped from one wall to the other, bypassing the hoard of the undead below him and summersaulting safely on the other side.
The creatures groaned as they sluggishly limped from street to street at random, but the ninja bot manoeuvred without detection, navigating his way through the labyrinth like city. He hissed whenever he had dodge another hoard, only to turn right at the next corner and run into another wall of reanimated Cybertronians. This city was packed with them!
Spotting shelter in what looked like the remains of an old shopping centre, Prowl wasted no time getting inside. If he acted smart he could use the building to his advantage and take what little supplies he could carry.
Big mistake.
The moment he transformed and stepped into the shopping complex, the trap was sprung. Through the darkness he could make out the low emitting optics, surrounding him on all sides. He had just stumbled into a barnacle nest.
Prowl immediately spun around but back treaded when more zombies stumbled out from their hiding places, putting themselves between him and exit. They moved in closer and Prowl rotated, trying to find an alternative route. He could stay and force his way out, risk touching at least one infected, or run further into the nest and find an alternative exit.
He was not liking his odds.
Unleashing his shurikens, Prowl readied his jetpack and was prepared to fight his way through the hive like mind as they moved in closer, servos reaching for his spark chamber.
"Coming through!" Spinning around, the ninja spotted a giant green mech hurtling towards them, crashing through the barrier and into one of the support structures, bringing it down on the zombie hoard.
"Hang on!" An arm then grabbed him around the wait and he was hurled into the air, in the arms of a blue and red mech with a grappling hook.
"What are you doing?!" he hissed as he was flung of harm's way. He didn't need help!
"Kid, electromagnetic pulse!" Light blinded his visor as static ran through his circuitry. The remaining zombies below them had stopped in their tracks and slumped over, deactivated.
"Quickly, we know another way out," said the red and blue mech as he lowered him to the ground.
"I had everything under control," he snapped back, rudely pushing the taller mech aside and folding away his shurikens.
"Well we weren't going to risk it, now follow me." The bot ordered and with a motion of his hand the rest of his team followed.
Prowl distrusted other bots, in these dangerous time they would sooner throw you under the bus if it meant granting them just one more minute left to live. As it stood though, he was new to the city and had yet to properly scout out the area, he might as well take advantage of the situation.
"Very well," he murmured, transforming into vehicle mode and following the group outside through a side exit and out into the streets. They drove in silence for a long time until they wheeled up to what looked like an abandoned assembly factory.
The gates opened for them and Prowl reluctantly entered, cautious the moment the gates closed behind him and he was now trapped inside with four bots he didn't know. They all transformed and Prowl properly looked them over. It was clear they were a bunch of misfits with nothing in common, all with different ages and backgrounds. No doubt they bumped into each by chance during the crisis and formed a team. Safety in numbers and all that.
"Relax, you're save," he said, the red and blue mech, no doubt the leader of this ragtag of bots. "My name is Optimus Prime, this is Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead."
The younger mechs wave excitedly at Prowl as if he was the first new person they had seen in a long time, while the oldest glared at him with the same distrust Prowl was giving them.
"And what's your name?"
Prowl turned his attention back to Optimus and said "My designation is of no importance to you. I won't be staying long." They seem offended but he does not care. Glancing around the abandoned assembly line, he takes note of the small pile energon cubes and small personal possessions littered about. "How long have you all been here?"
The four shifted uncomfortably.
"Why don't you sit down?" Optimus suggests, directing everyone to what Prowl could only assume was their living quarters. The two younger bots happily sat cross legged on the floor, the older mech sat on one end of the sofa and Optimus, who went to collect five energon cubes, motioned for Prowl to take the spare seat next to Ratchet. Prowl remained standing.
They recharged together as Optimus told the story. It wasn't anything new, they had all been there when the virus first hit, when their friends and loved ones started to turn and attack them. Optimus watched as his two best friends were taken from him, and later bumped into Ratchet, who had been travelling with an injured femme, but they were forced to put her out of her misery when it became clear she was infected. They later stumbled across Bumblebee and Bulkhead, who found the factory and got the security system back online. Since then they had been together for just under a year, working as a team to map out the city for zombie nests and energon deposits.
"Have you tried leaving?" Prowl eventually asked.
"And go where?" Ratchet snorted. "In case you haven't notice there's nowhere to run."
"Yes there is," he said firmly. "Off world."
The four looked at him like he was insane. Cybertron had been in lockdown ever since the virus went global. An electrical field surrounded the atmosphere, prevented any transformer, infected or not, escaping the planet.
"Are you nuts?" Bumblebee gawked. "They won't risk letting a single bot spreading the disease on one of those moon colonies."
"Maybe not," Prowl pulled out a radio from his sub compartment. "I have been listening to the global announcements. Every few weeks Autobot ships have docking in specific locations, taking in any who scans negative as a virus carrier. If we can get to a station at the set time we can get off world."
The four looked uncertain.
"You'll get yourself killed going back out there again," said Ratchet.
"It's better than boarding myself up in here waiting to run out of energon, or worse waiting for the power to run out."
A heavy silence hung over them as they finished their cubes and the subject was not brought up again for the rest of the night. Bumblebee and Bulkhead practically followed Prowl everywhere, wanting to hear about his adventures and trying to get him to play some old video games they managed to salvage. They were oddly charming in their own, annoying way. Ratchet eventually warmed up to him, now that he had someone a bit older and level headed to talk to. He even offered to check Prowl over and fix any minor damages he might be having.
Prowl was later shown to a room where he was allowed to recharge for the night, and it was quite refreshing to lay on an actual berth after being on the move for so many months. However, he couldn't shut down. He didn't believe the four bots would harm him, but he wouldn't risk letting his defences down. Getting up he wondered around the factory, eventually finding a set of stairs that led up to the roof, where he spotted Optimus sitting on the ledge, staring up at the sky.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Optimus turned his head and smiled politely when he spotted the cycle bot. "Couldn't sleep either?"
"I didn't mean to disturb you," he said.
Optimus shrugged and motioned for Prowl to sit beside him. The ninja paused for a long moment but eventually coming closer, drowning out the moans of lone zombies wondering the streets as he sat down next to Optimus and looked up at the night sky, which was once littered with thousands of stars, now blocked out by the golden electric field keeping them here.
"You all act like a family," Prowl murmured. It had been so long since he had interacted with other bots, especially friendly ones.
"We're all we have left of our old lives." Optimus glanced over at Prowl. "They like you. You could be a part of our family as well."
Prowl shook his helm, as tempting as it was he couldn't allow himself to stay longer than necessary.
"While I thank you for your hospitality, I'm leaving at sunrise." He turned to Optimus. "Although, I would welcome the company if you wished to join me."
Optimus smiled sadly. "I won't go anywhere without my team, if even one of them decides to stay then I'll stay behind as well."
Prowl sighed and rose to his feet. "Then I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings us."
"Do you truly believe there's something out there?" Optimus called after him.
"I don't know," Prowl admitted, turning to face Optimus one last time. "But I have to believe, otherwise, what's the point?"
He headed back inside, his mind set on the task ahead of him, but in his spark he was secretly hoping by tomorrow morning he wouldn't be walking out those front doors alone.
~End~
Last Chapter: Bumblebee (Traitor)
