Day 13

*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

Hoist gave a groan as the sound of someone bashing on his door reached his ear. Someone apparently decided to annoy him today and he wasn't liking it as he saw that it was 4 in the morning. He got up and walked slowly to the door, wanting to see who decided to wake him up today. Once there, he opened it to see who was there, grumbling along the way: "Who's there."

"Someone who doesn't like being spied on," said the AI in a Monochrome robot. Hoist jumped back as the robot intruded in on him, stepping closer to him. "I was reviewing the footage and saw you spying in on mine and Perceptor's conversation. That was very nice," he told him as he slammed his door shut. "Normally, I would probably just use your intercom, but I feel the need to tell you this as personally as I can and since my creator is sleeping soundly at the moment."

"Okay, so, did you decided to come threaten me? Why?" Hoist asked, backing up from the advancing AI.

"Well, threaten is such a mean word. I prefer to call it a warning," the robot told him calmly with a reassuring smile.

"I'm pretty sure that's still a threat," Hoist told him, hitting the wall where his room ended. The AI stopped just a little before him before speaking again.

"Well, that's a little mean. I just came to tell you that if you tell anyone else, even Perceptor about me, you might experience a long-overdue death," it pleasantly told him. "I swear, you Cybertronians live for so long, I'm pretty sure all of you have your deaths coming."

"So you are threatening me," Hoist asked again.

"Well, I guess you can put it that way," he said with a little shrug, "but it's best to listen to me. At the very least, relax for today before the motive comes tomorrow."

"Why should I?" Hoist asked him. "You could be plotting to kill me right now."

"Trust me, if I could kill you, you be on the ground dead already," the AI responded to his claim. "Now calm down for just a little bit and tell me why you were tailing Perceptor."

"Why… I was… you don't know?" Hoist asked him.

"No, I don't," the AI told him. "Believe it or not, my abilities are limited. Now explain to me why were you following Perceptor."

"Uh, well… I thought he was working with Monobear and was going to meet him," he told him. At that, the AI raised a eyebrow before giving a short laugh.

"Oh, that's hilarious. Work with Monobear? Who would work with him?" the AI asked him.

"The mole of course," Hoist answered. At that, the AI stopped laughing.

"Mole…?"

"Yes, the mole. You do realize that he inserted a mole in us… right?" he asked the AI. The thing looked at him strangely before replying:

"No. He's never mentioned that… or have a file on it," the AI said. "He must keep that away from me."

"Well, Perceptor is one of the suspects to being the mole," Hoist told him.

"And if he is… he could tell my master about me!" the AI suddenly realized, growing nervous.

"Well, you appear to be caught in a bind," Hoist realized. "If he is the mole, than your master will realize you're an AI, someone that I bet you don't want him to know," Hoist told the thing, causing him to grow worried.

"Slag… you!" the AI shouted. "Figure out whether he's a mole or not!"

"Well, maybe we can help each other," Hoist told him. "Nightbeat, Mirage, Smokescreen, and Ratchet are suspects for the mole. Chromedome as well, but he was, you know… executed for protecting Rewind. I don't think he was ever the mole."

"Yes, I… will do that," the AI said, heading out. "Thanks for the information. Let us find this mole!"

"Wait! That's it?" Hoist asked.

"Yes, that's it," the AI said, opening the door. "Enjoy your slumber."

*SLAM*

Hoist stared at the door where the AI was, confused by the sudden turn of events, but happy about it nonetheless. He laid back down on the recharge slab, ready for sleep.

At 7:15, everybody had woken up to meet in the lunchroom to discuss what to do today. "Well, it's only a matter of time before Monobear unveils his next motive, so we should peobably do some more investigating while it's safe," Jazz immediately offered.

"Jazz, remember what me and Smokescreen said?" Bumblebee reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Jazz mumbled.

"And what are you three planning?" Ratchet asked them, looking on edge.

"Uh, well… are you alright, Ratchet? I haven't seen you this on edge in a while," Jazz asked, looking at the paranoid medic.

"It's nothing. Just… something weird last night. Nothing to worry you all about," Ratchet explained before going on the offensive. "Now, quit dodging the question and tell me: what are you planning today?"

"Uh, well, it has come to my attention that morale around here is nearing to an all-time low, so I was thinking of an all-day group activity," he recommended to them.

"An… all-day group activity?" Bludgeon asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know. I figure we just all hang out at the mall together and socialize. Just hang out and relax. Primus knows we need it," he specified.

"I don't socialize," Bludgeon scoffed, turning away.

"Well, I see nothing wrong with it," Onslaught agreed with Jazz. "To be honest, hanging around and accomplishing nothing is doing something unwell to my psyche, as well as my men."

"Yeah, I'm fine with it," Swindle agreed.

"Could be worst," Blast Off assented.

"Huh, I think me and Rewind really need that," Hound agreed, nudging Rewind.

"Whatever," Dead End muttered, reading.

"That's his way of saying 'HELL YEAH!'" Wildrider told them before adding, "Not kidding."

"Not worrying about finding clues does sound… moderately enjoyable," Scavenger agreed along with a bob of approval from Mixmaster.

"Well, as long as I can bring drinks, that's fine with me," Blurr agreed.

"Works for me," Perceptor agreed.

"Fine," Hoist said.

"I think Bludgeon is in the minority," Nautilator remarked, causing the metallikato expert to glare at him. "Hey, it's the truth! Don't hurt me!"

"Uh…," Skywarp murmured, "I guess me and Laserbeak would be okay with it."

"I'm fine with it... I think," Beachcomber replied nervously.

"I could use a day to relax," Knock Out agreed. "Maybe I can actually properly buff myself this time."

"I could spend the doing worst," Nightbeat agreed.

"I guess of day of fun would be a nice change of pace," Mirage replied, "although I doubt our ideas of fun coincides."

"I sure it'll be fine, Mirage," Drift replied happily.

"Humph," he scoffed.

"Well, I guess we'll al be able to watch each other," Ratchet said, thinking it through.

"So, this is fine with everyone?" Jazz asked them.

"Majority rules," Smokescreen judged. "Let's all head to the mall."

"Alright, so we're here. Now what?" Bludgeon said with disdain as they gather at the tables.

"Well, I guess I'll leave that to Smoke and Bee," he told them, leaving them to explain.

"Uh, right…," Smokescreen mumbled. "Look, we got a few things planed throughout the day that involves everyone, but for now, just stay in here until we get these things settle, alright?"

"So… you have nothing," Bludgeon muttered, glaring at them.

"Hey, Commander Killjoy, do be quiet," Smokescreen told the warrior. "I won't let your inability to have fun ruin it for everyone else."

"He is not Commander Killjoy!" Wildrider shouted, putting an arm around Dead End's shoulders. "Here's the actual Commander Killjoy!"

"Fun is dead," Dead End blankly murmured, pushing Wildrider away, "now be quiet."

"You two are weird," Bumblebee murmured before speaking. "We do have something planned. It just requires some set-up, okay?" he asked them.

Everyone gave various answers of 'yes,' 'okay,' and 'whatever.'

"Alright, great. Just give me and Smokescreen a couple of hours, alright?" he told them, before him and Smokescreen set off to one of the stores.

"Well, couple of hours to kill. What do you guys want to do?" Blurr asked them.

"Read," Dead End answered immediately, breaking off from the group and heading up the stairs.

"What an extrovert," Skywarp snarked.

"Where the frag did you learn that word?" Swindle asked.

"I read," Skywarp said, lightly rubbing Laserbeak.

"What? Comic books?" Mirage scoffed.

"Uh, yeah, what else?" he bluntly told them before silently muttering to himself. "What an asspull in the last one. Attention Deflectors? Seriously?"

"Anyway," Jazz interrupted, "try to stay in the mall. I don't want anyone wondering off by themselves."

"Right, do you want anyone to watch the entrance?" Ratchet asked.

"There's ten of them, not including the ones to the maintenance hall and the groundbridge. It's far too many for one person to watch," Jazz told them.

"Well… I think I can help with that, actually," Hoist told him.

"You can?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah. I saw some wireless cameras at an electronic shop. Sync them with a computer of some sort and you're good to go," Hoist told him.

"I believe there are computers there as well that we can use," Mirage mentioned.

"Could you do that for me?" Jazz asked them.

"Eh, I guess. Shouldn't take more than 10, 15 minutes," Mirage estimated.

"That's pretty accurate," Hoist agreed.

"Right, get started on that," Jazz told them and the two both gave a nod before leaving to start on it.

"Right… now what?" Knock Out asked uninterested.

"Well, I guess we just hang around the place," Blurr said.

"Right, let's try and relax a little bit," Nautilator said. "Today's is not a day to be scare of everyone."

"Huh, you are willing to let your guard down?" Bludgeon asked him. "How foolish."

"Hey, we're all watching each other here! I don't see anything wrong with relaxing a bit," Nautilator rebuked. "Besides, there's no motive. Why would anybody try to murder with no motive?"

"Which makes it the perfect time to strike. No one would expect it," he argued.

"Hey, calm down!" Jazz told them. "Everybody is sticking together here and we're not here to fight. Just try to relax, Bludgeon."

"Humph, find me after you get the cameras working. I will be on watch there," Bludgeon told him.

"Not even going to try to have fun, are you," Drift murmured.

"I'll just watch and make sure everyone stays alive," Bludgeon told them. "I doubt much of you have the patience for surveillance."

"Someone is being a bit arrogant," Skywarp muttered.

"You least of all," Bludgeon talked down to him.

"Well, if you want to do that, then I don't see anything wrong with that, although you should have a partner to watch over you as well," Jazz told him.

"I guess I can do that," Ratchet volunteered.

"Alright, I guess that's good," Jazz consented. "So, you tow stick with me while the rest do whatever you want," he ordered everybody.

"Alright, Computer is ready for the cameras to sync to it," Mirage told Hoist as he pay attention to the holographic screen in front of him. "Do it whenever you're ready."

"You got it," Hoist said, hitting a button on the orb-like camera. A second letter, Mirage gave a thumbs-up.

"It works. Let's sync the others to the computer," he told him.

"Understood," Hoist replied, setting up another camera. The process continued on until they had prepared 16 cameras."Okay, that should be enough; 10 for each entrance into the mall and five for the maintenance halls."

"Good job," Mirage praised as he came over. "Now we have to see these ups, right?"

"Yes… we do…," Hoist muttered, thinking things over.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mirage asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he answered.

"You sure, you look like you're concentrating on something really important," Mirage asked him.

"Some… odd things have been happening," Hoist told him.

"Really? Well, can you tell me about it?" Mirage asked him sympathetic.

"Uh, well…," Hoist muttered, thinking it through. Mirage was becoming a close ally, but he was still a suspect for the mole and he couldn't risk that just yet. "Not yet. I have to be certain of something first."

"Oh, well, alright. If you say so," the aristocrat agreed, grabbing a bundle of cameras. "Shall we put these cameras up?"

"Yeah, sure," Hoist agreed, grabbing the rest. "Let's go put these up."

"The bar?" Ratchet asked as him and Bludgeon took a seat at a table.

"Yeah, I figured it's a place not many people will disturb you," Jazz mentioned as he left for the exit. "I'll go to where Hoist and Mirage are and bring the computer when they're done," he mentioned as he departed.

"I want this day to be finished," Bludgeon growled out as he leaned back in his seat. "This is going to be a day of uselessness."

"Well, normally I would agree, but considering the rising tensions, I think it would be a good idea for them to relax for a little bit," Ratchet argued, propping his head with a hand. "This game we're in relies on trusting each other and being as paranoid as Red Alert won't help the group."

"But it will help the individual," Bludgeon countered, glaring at the waiter coming to meet him. "Not a step closer, servant of Monobear." The waiter stopped and backed away from the table back to the bar in a sprint.

"Well, I doubt anyone will try to kill you," Ratchet remarked, glancing at the cowering waiter.

"Directly, yes, but deceit is the law of the land here. Who's to say that the next cube of energon I drink, I don't convulse to the floor, dead?" he questioned the medic. "Shockwave is a formidable opponent, but he fell because of exactly that, trusting the wrong one."

"Uh, well, it's like I said, it's all about trust. It's pretty hard to trust anyone completely here," Ratchet murmured, looking around.

"Yes… have you noticed anything odd recently?" Bludgeon asked him.

"Well, kind of, although I think my mind was playing tricks on me," he murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Well… last night, I was walking around the mall after the Monobear announcement, I heard noises. Sounded like someone was sneaking around, but I didn't see them. They were probably hiding around, trying to sneak past me," Ratchet explained.

"So… somebody is already planning a murder? And without a motive? Interesting…," Bludgeon murmured.

"It could've just been my mind-"

"No, it has to be someone planning a murder. There is little doubt behind it," Bludgeon pushed the idea. "In this place, it's the only answer."

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You're suspecting somebody of murder already," Ratchet talked down too.

"Three have already happened. I'm just being smart," Bludgeon told him.

"The only one that I would even qualify as a murder was Soundwave killing Shockwave. Brawl killed by accident and Chromedome killed to protect Rewind. We're not a bunch of murderers, we're survivors."

"And how far will a survivor go to live?" Bludgeon asked him. "The will to survive is a great one. The stress of the situation could make anyone do anything."

"I'm not denying that fact, but to think that these are murders are false, despite what the bear says. We're just trying to survive a situation that he put us in," Ratchet explained himself. "It's a shame that they killed someone, but I can't blame them for it."

"Hmm, I guess your justification makes sense, but they all made the situation worse," Bludgeon told him. "There deaths forced the sneaky one to make everyone have a day to rest and lick their wounds."

"Well, that's true," Ratchet murmured as Jazz came in with a device. "Alright guys, Hoist and Mirage worked their magic and the cameras are set up. Here you go," he said, laying the device down in-between the two of them and turned it off, letting 16 holographic screens show up.

"Wow, this is advance stuff," Ratchet murmured, looking at the screens.

"Yeah, apparently, these cameras and computer are a step ahead of ours," Jazz told them, gazing down at the two of them. "So, you two are good here?"

"We should be find, Jazz," Ratchet answered with a assenting nod from Bludgeon.

"Right, I'll leave you two alone then" Jazz said, heading out. "Try to stay interested!" As he left, the two looked at the screens.

"We really made a couple of leaps in technology here, did we?" Ratchet asked.

"It would appear so," Bludgeon agreed. "Makes me wonder exactly what we did here… the good and the bad."

"Yes… the good and the bad," Ratchet murmured.

"Oil balls are so gooooood," Scavenger mumbled as he popped one in his mouth and chomped on it loudly. He was at one of the tables at the bottom floor with Mixmaster, Beachcomber, and the remaining Combaticons.

"That junk food will rust your dentas out," Mixmaster exasperated, holding his head.

"They're so good, though," Scavenger countered, dropping another one in his mouth. "You should try one."

"Um… no," Mixmaster bluntly answered.

"They are pretty good, though," Beachcomber told him, downing some oil balls of his own.

"Sooooooo gooooood," Scavenger repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Swindle murmured. "You don't have to say it like you're performing auto-erotic fragging."

"Swindle, do you have some… videos that you're keeping from me?" Onslaught asked his weapons expert.

"Uh, no…," Swindle murmured.

"Swindle, you remember the first trial?" Blast Off asked him. "Rewind mentioned getting snuff films from you."

"Heh heh heh, he did? I can't hardly remember," Swindle chuckled nervously, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yes, he di- YUCK!" Blast Off yelled as oil got splattered on chest from Scavenger's mouth full of oil balls. "Why you filthy vagabond."

"Mup smmry," Scavenger… apologized?

"Not accepted," Blast Off scowled at the oil ball eater.

"Mup Smmry!" he repeated.

"Uh, Blast Off, please calm down. Scrapper would have my head if you do that," Mixmaster tried to soothe him.

"Oh, trust me, I'm calm," Blast Off said in a decidingly not calm voice.

"Yeah, sure. Most definitely," Swindle sardonically replied.

"Blast Off, now is not the time for conflict," Onslaught recommended to him, tensing up.

"Yeah, seriously dude. Just calm down," Beachcomber agreed, trying to mediate between everyone.

"I'm fine," Blast Off said, standing up. "Please excuse me while I go find something to clean myself with," he excused, walking away from the table with trembling shoulders of barely contained rage.

"Wow. Way to go, you slob," Swindle insulted Scavenger.

"I'm sorry!" he replied, having finally swallowed the oil balls. "They are so addicting."

"Wow, you're stupid," Swindle continued to insult.

"Uh-huh, now, Swindle," Onslaught said, staring him down again, "these… videos that you've been keeping from me."

"Oh scrap."

"Uh, what are you doing?" Rewind asked Hound as he was drawing on a sketchpad in the art store.

"I'm working on a drawing," he told Rewind. "How about you?"

"Just recording, you know," Rewind said, rubbing his hands nervously. "Do it 24/7. Never stop, even when I sleep."

"Do you ever delete any of it?" Hound asked, looking up at him.

"No… I don't," Rewind told him. "Everything I've seen since I was created I've got stored up here."

"That… kind of crazy," Hound muttered, going back to the drawing.

"Yeah, maybe a little bit.… How about you?" Rewind asked. "You came here as the Ultimate Preservationist. What's it like?"

"It's kind of tiresome," Hound told Rewind. "Seeing Cybertron get reduced to a dead planet… really got to me."

"Yeah… it got everybody," the archivist agreed.

"When we got to Earth and I saw all the nature of it, I knew… I had to protect that,"" the green 'Bot said, switching to some color pens. "Since I've always been a protector of people, I figured as might as well protect nature as well."

"That's very altruistic of you," Rewind said, giving a soft smile.

"Yeah, well, it can't be helped," Hound said, "and if anybody wants to harm it, they'll have to go through me."

"Huh, I wouldn't want to mess with you. You're pretty tough," Rewind chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm pretty capable," he muttered, stopping his drawing. "Tell me, does this look good?" Hound asked, showing off the yellow-stem flower with aqua and azure he draw before. This one was a bit sloppier looking than the last one, but still looked acceptable.

"That's very pretty," he told him

"Is it?" Hound asked, turning it back towards himself. "I still need more practice with it."

"Maybe, but it's still nice," Rewind told him." You should do some more."

"Yeah, I could do that," Hound agreed. "Any recommendations?"

"Uh, well," Rewind mumble before whispering, "Chromedome."

"Huh? Oh, well," Hound stuttered before replying, "I could try that, but it's probably best to wait until I get better so it will be really good."

"Ah, well, that would be good," Rewind agreed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Thanks."

"It's no problem."