Story: Virus...
Chapter 4 - Rampage
(NOTE: No relation to 'Black and white Autobot family)
All pure FICTION!
'Blah' normal talk
blah thoughts aloud
'blah' talking through comlink
'I suggest you all head back to the council building. Bluestreak, Proton, you'll remain for the memory transfer, and then we'll need to release him into the wild.' Einsteel told the others.
Rodimus nodded. 'I agree. We need to sort stuff of our own back at the council building. Team, follow me!'
The rest of the team turned to followed Rodimus out the building, led by Perceptor.
Einsteel turned towards Proton and Bluestreak, noticing an extra guest staying behind.
'I'm not leavin'!'
'Jazz!' Proton said.
'Jazz?' Einsteel remembered his name spoken before. 'Prowl's best friend?'
Jazz nodded. 'Yes. I am. I worked closely with Prowler when on duty.'
Einsteel nodded. 'Then it's best you tag along, so Prowl can remember his working skills. Adding to the new fighting skills we've already taught him. Follow me.'
He leads the 3 bots pass the other pods, towards the lab.
'Do you plan to create more of these protoforms?' Proton asks him.
'We were thinking off. But with what we have experienced today just resurrecting Prowl, we would give the new equipment a break from all this she-nanegan. Once we have Prototype Prowl up and running, then we may consider working on a brand new protoform.'
Prowl, who had been following, listened to the whole thing, dropped his stern look, to being in sorrow. Einsteel was bascially letting him in on that he was his controller. He wasn't going to do his own actions.
Caskel, who was at the monitors, noticed the change in Prowl's emotion, and turned up the volume on his audio so he could hear.
'Once we have Prototype Prowl up and running...'
'He's responding with an emotion to the fact he's being controlled. That's not good.'
Einsteel opened the large door, to a large lab, with machines of different appearances in all 4 corners.
He leads them to a machine attatched to a berth, with a small head gear on the top.
'We'll upload the memories with this. But's there a low chance the memories will be absorbed, but we'll do the best in our ability.' he told them.
'Thank you Professor.' Proton responded.
Prowl looked at the berth, and his optics widened.
Caskel, back on the monitors, catches a blurry image appearing on one of the computers. He inspects the image. Appearing to be from his memory bank.
'Strange... ' He enhanced the image, adding effects to make it clearer. He finds an image of a silver and blue femme. 'Huh?' He prints the image, and then rushes off to the others.
Prowl responded, and laid down on the berth, the head gear gently placed on his head, and attatched.
'We'll wake you when the transfer is complete.' Einsteel said. He nods to Anilt, who types on the keyboard.
Prowl's optics dimmed, as he fell into a deep recharge.
Proton walks into the private room with Anilt, and begin adding the memories in.
Bluestreak and Jazz stood with Einsteel in the main room, watching the head gear sparkle as the process began.
Caskel rushed in. 'Bluestreak. Do you know this femme?' He shows him the photo.
Bluestreak gasped. 'DAD!' he called out.
Anilt and Proton walked out. 'What's wrong son?'
Caskel hands Proton the photo, everyone watching the high Lord gasp. 'Who is this femme?' Caskel asked.
'How?' Proton was surprised. 'This is Luna, my bondmate. And Prowl and Bluestreak's mother. She died the day after they were born. Prowl never saw her in person.'
'Then how does he know what she looks like?' Caskel asked. 'I just printed this image from his memory bank.'
'Obviously the process is working, and he is starting to remember his old life. This is quite a change. Continue with the transfer.' Einsteel said.
'But Prowl never saw his mother, only through family pictures!' Proton said, but Einsteel just began setting up the machine. Something suspicious is going on here.'
As the minutes, turned to an hour...
More and more codes of memories were uploaded into Prowl's memory bank. After each one, everyone waited for when his doorwing twitched when each memory was uploaded.
Then Bluestreak took his turn, followed by Jazz shortly after.
Till the time came, he was to be awoken from his deep slumber.
'Prototype Prowl, it's time to wake up...'
Prowl slowly onlined his optics, and sat up on the berth, rubbing his head.
'How do you feel?' Bluestreak asked.
'Like I got hit on the back of the head with a sledgehammer. Got a processor ache..'
'That'll go away soon.' Einsteel said. 'Got to make sure all the memories were successfully uploaded, and he'll remember everything. Then he'll be his old self.'
Prowl looked around, and catches Proton. 'Dad?' He turned to Bluestreak. 'Bro?'
'It worked.' Einsteel cheered, till he was stopped by Jazz.
'Hasn't said anything 'bout meh yet?'
'It'll come round.' Einsteel assured him. 'But the resurrection worked, the memory transfer worked, he's ALIVE!' he goes around the lab cheering his head off.
They eventually left the lab, after an hour of cheers erupted from Einsteel...
Caskel was back at the monitors, looking at all the memories rushing through Prowl's memory bank. He heard the others enter, and leans over the balcony.
'Caskel, let's get ready to unleash him. Everything is set.' Einsteel said.
'Sir. We need to test it first! We still got others, just brought in when they invaded our lab a few minutes ago.' Caskel said.
'Ooo... a new test subject. Let's try it out.'
Prowl was locked inside a small room, with a long length. Bluestreak, Jazz, Proton, Anilt and Einsteel stood inside the observation room, as Caskel and another scientist dragged Virus4 into the room. In the room they dragged him from, where a few other infected bots, all thumping the walls to get out!
Anilt was carrying a laptop with him, monitoring all the computers that showed all of Prowl's system. 'All systems are a go.'
Prowl knew they were watching him from the observation room, but his optics were on Virus4 test subject, now thrasing to be released.
'Let him go!' Anilt said over the speaker.
Caskel and the other scientist, with the name 'Mary-bot' on her name tag, let Virus4 go, and he ran forward towards Prowl, mouth open to bite.
Anilt typed quickly on the keyboard. 'Activating weapons.'
In Prowl's right hand, a long gun appears. Virus4 was meters from Prowl, when he raised his gun, blasting him in the head. The infected bot stopped in his tracks, energon spilling everywhere. He rolled his optics, collapsing on the ground, offline!
Bluestreak gasped. 'That's sad!'
'Unleash the others!' Einsteel ordered.
The others gasped, seeing quite a few infected bots be unleashed from their prison box, caught Prowl, and run towards him.
'That's like 7/8 infected!' Jazz said.
'Watch this,' Einsteel said, nodding to Anilt.
'Activating swords,' Anilt puches in the codes.
They all watched as one of the infected ended up running for Mary-Bot and Caskel, biting Mary-bot's neck. They catch Prowl raise his arm, a combat knife in his hand. He throws it, stabbing the back of the infect bot's head, killing him.
The other infects bot continue running towards Prowl, as Caskel hides behind Prowl, who brings out a machine gun.
'Whoa...' Caskel gasps.
Anilts punches the code, as Prowl fires at the others, killing them all.
'You're using my bro as a fighting machine! He wasn't like this at all! That's not my twin!' Bluestreak shouts at Einsteel.
'You wanted your brother to remember you, and with this new technology, he'll keep you safe, and not let anyone harm you.' Einsteel assured him.
Bluesteak couldn't hide his tears, watching his own twin brother drops the gun. This wasn't his twin brother he once knew.
'It's time to release Prowl into the world now. They are many citizens in danger, and Prowl will be there to rescue them, and fight of the infection.' Einsteel leads them to the large back doors of the building. 'On the other side is a steel gate, that we will open. The infected are on the other side. We will also set Prowl's controls over, so he'll have control of his weapons and movements now. Are you all ready? Once those doors open, no going back.'
'We are.' Proton replied, looking at his 'sons'.
'I am dad.' Bluestreak said.
Prowl blinked blankly at Bluestreak's comment.
'Am ready.' Jazz replied.
Einsteel nodded, and taps in the security code, and the steel doors open, letting bright light inside. Everyone covered their optics to shield from the bright light.
Once the doors were opened, the team walk outside, as the door closed behind them.
'Any problems, we're here to call with your comlink Prowl. We'll monitor your movements and actions here. Primus save the world!' Einsteel finished before the door completly closed.
The team turned back towards the direction infront of them. A giant steel gate stood meters from them, and on the other side, quite a few of infected bots roaming the streets for food.
'Well... this is it.' Bluestreak chuckled, nervously.
With the others feeling nervous, and because of his programming and the way he was created, Prowl just walked forwards bravely towards the gate. Those infected on the other side of the gate, noticed him coming and crawled at the gate, reaching their hands through to reach him.
The others followed him, still they all stood in a line, standing infront of the steel gate.
Then one of the infected bots, managed to climb up the gate, and fall on the ground infront of them. The mech got up and ran towards them.
'Prowl? It's Einsteel. We examined the weak points of our test subjects, fire at their head, I repeat, the weak point is their memory bank!' Einsteel's voice was heard over the comlink.
'Copy that.' Prowl said. He draws his gun.
The mech was inches from them, and Prowl lifts his gun to the mech's head. The mech grunts, looking at the gun, then at Prowl. BANG! Energon spilt everywhere, and the mech collapses to the ground, dead.
'The gate will open any second now.' Einsteel said.
'Copy...' Prowl notices the nearby staked crates. 'Hold the gate!' He rushes over to them, watched by the others.
Proton realized and follows, closely followed by Bluestreak and Jazz.
Prowl did jumps and twirls up the crates, till he stood on the large wall surrounding the back entrance to the lab, and they hear his gasp.
Proton stood beside him, then Jazz and Bluestreak gasp.
Hundreds and millions of the infected bots walking, limping, or crawling their way around the city.
'There's thousands of them, man!' Jazz said.
Proton looked ahead. 'The council building. No more than a mile away!'
'We'll walk on the rooftops, till we have more ammunition.' Prowl said, walking along the top of the wall, towards the nearby rooftop of a house, followed by the others.
As they made their way across the rooftops, the flying citizens who had been infected flew over them, not flying down to bite. Some of the bots on the ground watched them go across the rooftops, and reached up, in a really stupid way, as if they could reach them from meters above them.
Inside the council building...
'You think Prowl will remember?' Kup asks Perceptor.
'Hard to tell. It's a risky procedure but if anyone knows Einsteel like I do, he might be crazy when his experiments DO eventually work, but not always, I know he can succeed.' Perceptor replied.
'Sir. Look at the outside security camera!' Sunstreaker called out.
Everyone crowds round the large screen, as they catch Prowl, Jazz, Bluestreak and Proton running across the rooftops towards the council building. They watched as Bluestreak slipped on the rooftop, and Prowl was the first to catch him before he fell towards the infected below.
'Well, guess the experiment went well.' Perceptor said. 'He already helps his twin from the infected.'
'And they're on their way here. Better open the secret exit door on the second floor.' Rodimus ordered.
Kup nodded, and types on the pad.
'The building!' Proton said, as he then heard his comlink go off. 'Proton here.'
'We can only open the security exit on the 2nd floor.' Kup's voice spoke.
'Kup, that's too close to those infected!'
'It's the only way in. Unless you expect to break down the large window on the 4th floor, underneath the floor we are on.'
'We can take that option too.'
'I'm going through that 2nd floor exit. The rest of you can obviously break the window!' Prowl said, and rushes ahead of everyone.
'I do reckon Einsteel went too far with the programming on bro's confidence.' Bluestreak said.
Prowl climbed down the side of the building, onto the 2nd floor balcony where the exit door opened. The infected below reached up trying to grab him, but they were just less than a meter away from reaching. Einsteel from the lab knew that if Prowl fired then the building will draw in attention, so he disabled his weapon, so Prowl enters the exit, and closes it.
The others with Proton's help, fly up to the 4th floor, and get in through the window.
Proton leads them up the emergency staircase, to the next floor up, leads them to the council room and walk in.
Everyone turned their heads as they entered.
'You're back!' Kup clapped. 'Where's Prowl?'
'Brother chose the dangerous route through the 2nd floor exit, near the infected. But he's coming up.' Bluestreak responded.
It was at that moment, everyone's optics turned in the direction behind them. The 3 mechs turned too, as Prowl walks in, disarming his gun. His optics looked around the room, at some familiar, and some unfamiliar faces.
'Good to see you Prowl.' Rodimus stepped forward.
'Hotrod?' Prowl recognized his old appearance. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe who were nearby, chuckled.
'Oh, no not anymore. It's Rodimus Prime now.'
'Then where's Optimus?' Prowl asked.
'He passed on to the matrix.' Kup replied to that.
Prowl nodded, in that 'Ok' unsurely way.
'I'm sure you remember some of us.' Sideswipe said.
'Yeah.' Prowl replied. 'The troublesome twins!'
Everyone in the room responded in a laugh, making the red and yellow twins feel slightly embarrased.
A scream from outside alerted them. They crowded round the two large windows, and gasp.
On the ground, a mech, his bondmate were running through the infected bots towards the council building. 'HELP US!' the femme screamed, looking up at the windows. The infected gathered round them.
Proton was the first to notice Prowl wasn't in the room.
They watched from the window, as Prowl runs towards them, the two hide behind him as Prowl fires at those infected gathering round them, and so he ushers them inside the building.
The Autobots gathered up two energon cubes and set the temperature warm, for when this frightened couple walk in.
They watch as Prowl, and this tall blue and red mech with black stripes on his armour, and the femme, blue and silver, slightly smaller than the mech, walk in, shivering.
The Autobots help them settle, and give them the energon.
'Thank you good sir!' the mech said to Prowl. 'We thought we were goners then.'
'Strife, our son!' the femme said. 'I couldn't find him around the house. He's gone!'
'Do you know where he went?' Rodimus asks.
The femme shook her head. 'I don't know. Please, we must find him.'
'If he knows of any safe building with people working there, he would go there. We can't leave here yet.' Rodimus responded.
Strife, the mech brought in, hugs his bondmate. 'We'll find him Luscious. They're our comrades.'
'Speaking of ourselves, you think the Decepticons survived?' Springer asks.
'Doubt it. Probably made mince meat of,' Sideswipe replied. 'I bet those infected bots might have already eaten them. Seems logical, as to why they aren't eating many others, guessing they got their just desserts from those Decepti-crumbs!'
Sunstreaker and a few others laughed, and we know Prowl didn't laugh, just shaking his head in disappointment.
Einsteel back at the lab, pulls up the screen of what Prowl was seeing. He sees him stanidng infront of these two bots he saved and so he changes the seeing option, from 'normal' view, to 'x-ray'.
Prowl's doorwing twitched at the process, and because of the change Einsteel made, his vision changed.
He and Einsteel both noticed a small black cloud appearing in Strife's memory bank.
Einsteel compared it to the memory bank of the captured bots who were infected, and notices the exact similarity.
'He's infected.' Einsteel whispers into Prowl's comlink.
Prowl's optics widened. Proton catches Prowl's change. 'What's wrong son?'
Prowl's face turned into a frown, towards Strife.
Einsteel pulls up a 3D, image of Strife, and spots the hole in his armour on the side of his neck. 'He was bitten on the side of his neck, on the left side.'
Prowl turned his optics on the side of Strife's neck, and notices the breakage of the armour there.
'Sir, you seem wary of me.' Strife said.
Luscious was the one to jump up, frightened, when Prowl draws his gun, and points it at Strife.
'What are you doing Prowl?' Rodimus questioned his actions.
Perceptor steps in. 'He's was created to sense the virus and kill it! You aren't... infected are you?' He asks Strife.
'I just didn't want you to worry about me Luscious.' Strife cried. 'I know I'll turn into one of them. Please, shoot me!'
'No!' Luscious cried, grabbing Strife's arm. 'I'll join you!'
'And leave your son in this world alone!' Prowl reminded her.
'Please honey...' Strife said. He grabs Prowl's gun away from him. 'Bye...' and pulls the trigger.
'NO!' Luscious caught Strife as he fell offline.
Prowl was surprised. He didn't shoot, and that wasn't part of his programming. Why?
Einsteel back at the lab was surprised too. 'It's his programming to kill the infected. I controlled him to shoot? Why didn't he shoot?'
So... why didn't Prowl shoot? It's in his program to kill the infected, so why didn't he? Read on to find out.
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