Feral Rage



Galvatron led the Sweeps, and several other Decepticons—including Cyclonus--through a dense jungle on a remote planet. “Scourge, report! Which way are the Autobots?” he demanded.

The Sweep Leader sniffed the air, and actively scanned the area. He pointed towards the Northeast. “That way,” he stated.

“Fine. You take point,” Galvatron commanded. Letting Scourge take the fore also made him a magnet for weapons fire, when they came upon their foes.

Scourge started off at a brisk pace, scanning carefully for Autobots, or any sign of an ambush. He detected some animal life but ignored it. Some of the beasts were robotic in nature, but he figured they were no threat, at least not with much of the Decepticon army there.

Suddenly a small robotic feline leaped down from a tree, snarling and clawing. It was only about half Scourge’s size, but its fangs and claws were quite sharp. Scourge howled as the creature dug in, and somehow maneuvered itself so it could sink its fangs into his neck. Quickly he grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck and pulled, trying to get it to let go. After some effort, the Sweep managed to pry the feline’s jaws off his neck, and flung it aside. A few blasts from his laser rifle sent it on its way.

“Scourge, are you alright?” Cyclonus wondered, as the rest of the Decepticons caught up.

“I will be,” Scourge groaned, rubbing his neck. He hoped the beast hadn’t severed a fuel line. So far, nothing was leaking out, although the puncture wounds were quite deep. He proceeded to resume his tracking.



*****



“So this is why we couldn’t see them from the air,” Galvatron mused. The group of Decepticons stood in front of the entrance to a large cavern, and Scourge indicated that the Autobots were inside.

“What would they be doing down there?” Cyclonus wanted to know.

“There are high concentrations of valuable ores down there,” Scourge said, “Perhaps that’s what they’re after.”

“No matter. We’ll bring the place down on top of them!” Galvatron cackled. Quickly he transformed to cannon mode and fired several times. The blasts brought down a hail of boulders, and in no time the entrance to the cave was practically sealed. He transformed to examine his handiwork. “There. The Autobots are trapped forever. Let’s go!” Cyclonus had a sneaking suspicion that it would take more than that to keep the Autobots down, but said nothing. He took to the air after his Leader, silently wondering how long it would take his foes to extricate themselves from the cave-in.



*****



Back on Chaar, the returning Decepticons refueled, and Scourge and the Sweeps got some much-needed recharge time. The Sweep Leader flopped into his recharge berth and went to sleep immediately.



*****



Scourge awakened to the sound of laser blasts. He sat up suddenly, then headed for the door. A strange sensation manifested itself in his processor—it felt like a soft, irritating buzzing sound. He shook his head to try to clear it.



*****



“The Autobots survived?!” Galvatron shouted incredulously, as a large group led by Rodimus Prime bore down on him, “Well, not for much longer!” He fired wild blasts into the air at the incoming attackers, who had arrived on Sky Lynx.

Scourge faced one of the Autobots, firing his blaster. His opponent dodged easily, and the Sweep Leader found the buzzing in the back of his head growing more intense and distracting. Growling savagely, he leaped at the Autobot, lashing out with his claws. The speed and fury of the attack surprised his opponent, who tore away and retreated, but not without some heavy damage to show for it. Scourge merely turned his attention to the next nearest Autobot, who just happened to be Springer. The Sweep attacked the green triple-changer in much the same way as the other Autobot.

“HEY!” Springer shouted, as Scourge clawed his chest, and nearly tore his optics out, “Guys, let’s get out of here! Scourge has gone crazy!”



*****



“Whaddaya mean?” Kup demanded.

“Don’t you remember what Perceptor said?” Springer said pointedly.

Kup’s face fell. “Oh,” he said flatly.

Fortunately, Rodimus was within earshot of this conversation. “Autobots, pull back!” he ordered. In very short order, the invaders retreated, reboarding Sky Lynx and fleeing as if Unicron himself were at their heels.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Scourge singlehandedly rout the Autobots before,” Cyclonus mused.

The Sweep leader was panting, and his optics still held a strange glow. Cyclonus went up to him. “Excellent work, Scourge,” he said.

Scourge turned and growled fiercely at Cyclonus. The Decepticon Second was taken aback. “Scourge, what has gotten into you?”

The Sweep shook his head quickly, the glow fading from his optics. “Sorry about that,” he muttered, “I don’t feel well. If anybody needs me, I’ll be in my quarters.”



*****



Back on Cybertron, Springer was busy telling Perceptor about Scourge’s odd behavior. A Sweep behaving that aggressively was completely out of character.

“It is as I feared,” Perceptor stated, “He may have been infected with a particular strain of nanites—the kind I warned you about on your last mission. He must have been infected before Galvatron caused that cave-in.”

“So do I have to worry about getting infected?” Springer wanted to know.

“Did he bite you?” Perceptor inquired.

“No, he didn’t get a chance to,” Springer replied.

“Well, then your chances of being infected are very remote. But anyone who is bitten is at great risk,” Perceptor advised, “This is a particularly virulent strain, as well. Documented cases have shown symptoms of heightened aggression, increased internal temperature, fuel stomach upset, and gradual loss of sapience due to severing the links to, and eventual destruction of, higher logic chips. The subject eventually loses the ability to speak, and will start attacking others around him for no apparent reason. Previous strains of nanite usually take several days to take effect, but this new strain can do significant damage in a few hours.”

“Well this is great, isn’t it?” Spike piped up, standing in the corner where he’d been listening. “Doesn’t this mean that Scourge will probably put a nice dent in the Decepticon Army, or at least get a Darwin Award in the process?”

“If they don’t find a way to infect us, first,” Springer sighed.

“I have been working on an inoculation,” Perceptor stated, “It’s not quite finished, but I am close. By the time they figure out what is wrong with Scourge, I believe I will have found a cure, in case they find a way to use it against us.”



*****



The Sweep Leader was curled up in his recharge berth. He’d been lying there for days. He was feeling too ill to consume much energon. But the longer he stayed there, the more restless he became. Finally he couldn’t stand it any longer, so he got up and exited his quarters. His head was hurting, and he couldn’t concentrate, but he felt like he had to do something.

“Scourge, come here,” Galvatron demanded, as the Sweep walked towards the command center. He obeyed, approaching the Decepticon Leader and his Second.

Galvatron began talking about some sort of plan, but Scourge found that eventually he couldn’t understand what Galvatron was saying. At first, he chalked it up to Galvatron’s madness, and that now the Decepticon Leader’s sanity had descended into unintelligible babbling. But then Cyclonus spoke, and neither could Scourge comprehend him, either. Suddenly Galvatron pointed at him, and something snapped. Before he even realized he was doing it, Scourge had lunged forward with a sharp growl, jaws agape. His fangs closed around Galvatron’s forearm and sank in. The Sweep’s claws reached out, digging into the upper shoulder of Galvatron’s other arm.

“AAAGH! Cyclonus, GET HIM OFF ME!” Galvatron howled. It took Cyclonus, plus two other Sweeps, to pry Scourge’s jaws off Galvatron’s arm. The enraged Decepticon leader then pointed his weapon at Scourge. “DESTROY HIM! He’s lost his mind!”

The aggressive light faded from Scourge’s optics, and he immediately cowered down like a beaten dog, whimpering, as if awaiting his fate.

“Mighty Galvatron, WAIT! We do not yet know what is wrong with him!” Cyclonus begged, “Give me time to discover what is causing his strange behavior, please!”

“Very well, Cyclonus,” Galvatron growled, “But if you fail me, you will join him in Oblivion!”



*****



Scourge had been restrained and thrown into a cell in the brig. He was lucky that Cyclonus had been able to convince Galvatron to spare him, at least on the premise that something was wrong with him that could presumably be fixed. Energon was supplied, but the cell was not opened. The Sweep growled anxiously, pacing his cell.

Cyclonus was watching him, trying to figure out what was wrong with the Sweep Leader. “Scourge! Explain yourself!” he snapped suddenly, “Why did you attack Galvatron?”

Scourge could not understand what was being said. He rumbled something nonverbally, finding himself unable to form words.

The Decepticon Second frowned. No matter how hard he tried, it didn’t seem like he was getting through to Scourge. Soundwave entered the room.

“Something is very wrong with Scourge. I want you to scan his mind,” Cyclonus ordered.

“As you command,” Soundwave intoned. He activated his cerebral scanner and began taking readings. Scourge growled throughout the procedure.

“Well…?” Cyclonus inquired, after the scan was complete.

“Significant processor damage detected. Cause: Unknown,” Soundwave stated.

Cyclonus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We need an expert in such matters,” he decided.

Just then, Frenzy came running into the room. “Cyclonus! You gotta come quick! Galvatron’s REALLY lost it!”

Cyclonus raised an optic brow. “What else is new?” he sighed.

“No, I mean, really, REALLY lost it! He’s not even making sense!” Frenzy insisted, “I’m not even sure those are real words he’s using.”

Cyclonus looked aghast. “Perhaps whatever infected Scourge is contagious!” he realized, then darted out the door, in search of Galvatron.

The Decepticon Leader had barricaded himself in a room in the Command Center, but the babbling gibberish he was emitting was clearly audible even through the door. Cyclonus listened for a few moments before sighing heavily. He activated his communicator. “Sweeps, to me. I have a mission for you,” he radioed.



*****



Perceptor was out doing some field study work on a world not far from Cybertron. Apparently there were some rare life forms that he’d been interested in learning more about. He was in microscope mode, getting a closer look at a strange flowering plant when suddenly he was roughly grabbed by several pairs of hands and lifted into the air. He distinctly felt as though some very sharp objects were digging into his armor.

“What is the meaning of this?” Perceptor called out.

“If you value your miserable existence, you will refrain from transforming,” Cyclonus said, “Sweeps, take him to Chaar. We have need of this Autobot’s services.”

“What do you want with me?” Perceptor demanded.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Cyclonus rumbled.



*****



The Autobot Scientist was brought to the lab on Chaar. From behind the bars of one of the two cells in the lab—added at the suggestion of the Quintessons and as such, were used for restraining test subjects—Scourge glared at him and growled savagely. Perceptor was amazed to see the Sweep Leader was on all fours, in a crouching position, even though there was more than enough room for him to stand.

“Now, then,” Cyclonus began, “I want you to find out what is wrong with Scourge, and cure him.”

Perceptor looked at Cyclonus skeptically. “I am reluctant to assist you,” he stated.

“Well then, if you do not, you will be infected by whatever has caused Scourge to go mad. Sweeps, prepare to open the cell,” Cyclonus retorted.

The two Sweeps who were holding Perceptor started to shove him towards the cell that Scourge was in, while a third got ready to deactivate the energy bars.

“Wait! Alright, I will help,” Perceptor exclaimed, “But if I am to determine what is causing Scourge’s madness, he must be restrained and immobilized.”

“Of course,” Cyclonus said, and pressed a button on the computer controls. An energy beam struck Scourge inside the cell, and the Sweep Leader collapsed with a howl. The cell was opened and the Sweeps dragged Scourge out and put him facedown on an exam table, being careful to shackle his arms and legs. Under Cyclonus’ watchful optics, Perceptor opened the back of Scourge’s head and transformed, peering at the internal workings of the Sweep’s processor with his microscope barrel.

“Most intriguing,” Perceptor mused.

“Well?” Cyclonus asked impatiently.

“Scourge has been infected with a very virulent type of nanite,” Perceptor announced, “The damage to his processor has rendered him unable to understand language, or use higher functions such as complex logic circuits. Only rudimentary logic chips are still active.”

“But can you cure him?” Cyclonus pressed.

“Yes, I can,” Perceptor replied, “We will need to place him under a specific type of radiation for several hours, to destroy the nanites. Then it will be a simple matter of replacing and reconnecting all the damaged internal components.”

The equipment was set up above the medtable, and the treatment began. When Perceptor had determined that the radiation had destroyed all the nanites, he repaired Scourge’s brain. Cyclonus and the Sweeps made sure he didn’t sabotage Scourge in any way.



*****



“What do you mean, they got Perceptor?” Rodimus Prime exclaimed.

“I just saw them,” Cosmos replied, “I was doing a routine patrol of the area that is close to Chaar, and I saw the Sweeps carrying him.”

“We’d better go and get him,” Springer stated, “There’s no telling what they want with him. Do you think maybe they’ll try to get him to reveal some scientific secrets?”

“Possibly,” Rodimus Prime replied, “Let’s go. We’ll take Sky Lynx, and bring the Dinobots.”



*****



Scourge was recovering nicely, although he was put in the cell for safety just in case as he awakened. He rumbled softly as he came to, rubbing his head. “Ugh, what happened?” he asked, his voice sounding a good deal more raspy than usual.

“It worked!” Cyclonus crowed, “Now we can cure Galvatron!”

“Galvatron?” Perceptor exclaimed in amazement.

“And now that we know how to cure the nanites, we don’t need you anymore,” Cyclonus added, “Sweeps, dispose of him!”

A blast opened a hole in the wall of the Lab, and Rodimus Prime and the Dinobots were standing there. “Not so fast, Cyclonus! Perceptor’s coming with us!” the Autobot Leader announced.

The Decepticon Second was about to argue the point when there was a sudden explosion from the opposite direction. “Oh no,” Cyclonus said, “Sweeps, with me!” He ran out of the lab, with the Sweeps in tow, and one of them paused to let Scourge out of the cell.

With the Decepticons leaving to attend to more pressing concerns—which more than likely started with a G and ended with a tron—Rodimus and the others had no problem fleeing Chaar with Perceptor. When they were back aboard Sky Lynx, the Scientist revealed what it was the Decepticons wanted from him.

“So they wanted you to cure the nanites,” Rodimus commented, “Any idea how they got infected?”

“It is likely that the nanites were transmitted by a bite from one of the creatures on that planet we were on,” Perceptor stated, “I saw distinctive bite marks on Scourge’s neck from a robotic feline that is native there, and it is a known carrier of nanites.”



*****



Galvatron had gotten loose and had to be physically restrained. It took the combined effort of Cyclonus, the Sweeps, and Predaking to pin him down so an inhibitor could be administered. Then he was dragged to the lab and put under the same radiation that Scourge had been earlier. After that, Hook was enlisted to carry out the delicate repairs of Galvatron’s processor.

“Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise,” Hook commented, “I’ve never been able to get permission to repair Galvatron’s processor before. I can’t repair it completely, but he should be more stable now.”

“Excellent, Hook,” Cyclonus rumbled.

Scourge was well aware that he had attacked Galvatron, so he was very nervous. “Cyclonus, what will happen to me?” he wanted to know.

“You will be spared. You were merely malfunctioning, after all,” Cyclonus replied, “And if you had not bitten and infected Galvatron, Hook would not have been able to make the repairs that he just did.”

“Lucky me,” Scourge grated.



The End!