At noon, everyone regrouped at the lunchroom, minus Swindle, who was staying in his room. Most of them appear to be in a happier mood, with the only exceptions being the ever gloomy Dead, the ever-gruff Bludgeon, Knock Out, who was fuming over Blurr's bragging, the other two Combaticons, and Jazz, who was still trying to get through his hazy hungover. "So, how was the new area?" Jazz asked as he took a drink of his cube of energon.
"Me and Rewind like it. It's beautiful," Hound told him as Rewind was looking at the flower that he got that he put in a small, yellow vase from the gift shop.
"Me and Knock Out had a fun time with me smoking his aft all over the course," Blurr bragged.
"Pure luck. I felt something wrong in my muffler," Knock Out retorted, indignant.
"Yeah, yeah, you so totally don't completely suck and unable to match my speed," he mocked the doctor.
"I want a rematch!" Knock Out yelled at him.
"Oh, you're so on," Blurr agreed.
"Guys, please shut," Jazz told them, rubbing his head in pain. "I still haven't got over my headache."
"I'm trying my hardest to make a tonic, but I'm better at making alcoholic beverages," Mixmaster shrugged.
"You need to get on that, stat," Jazz muttered.
"I work at my own pace," Mixmaster told him.
"Make that pace faster," he moaned.
"Primus, I'm processing high-grade faster than you," Bumblebee muttered with a roll of the optics, a small smile on his face.
"Shut it," Jazz ordered.
"Hmph," he muttered. "You really need a sunnier disposition. Maybe a day out in the artificial sun will help."
"It is pretty nice," Nautilator agreed. "After so long be cooped up inside, it was nice to get out in the sun, even it is fake."
"I can attest that he is correct," Bludgeon agreed.
"If Bludgeon enjoys it, it must be amazing to get him to admit that," Beachcomber teased.
"Even I get tired of the indoors. It is quite refreshing," he told them, not letting the scowl off his face.
"Can you like, you know, smile dude?" Beachcomber wondered.
"I rather not," he told him.
"Have you even smile once since we've been here?" Beachcomber asked.
"No."
"Enough!" Onslaught yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Quit chit-chatting about completely meaningless stuff and let's get on to more pressing topics."
"You mean getting out of here, right?" Hoist asked.
"And who it is behind all of this," Skywarp added.
"That goes without saying. Did anyone who explored the new area find anything that could possibly help us?" Onslaught questioned them.
"It's an indoor arena disguised as an outdoor area. I didn't see anything that could possibly help us," Perceptor told him.
"There was a few grates on the racetrack, but it's a shallow one and mostly used for rainfall," Knock Out told him with a shrug.
"The forest looks like a regular forest," Hound told him. "You might be able to combine them to form something."
"Yeah, I don't think you'll find much in the forest," Rewind agreed with him.
"I'm sure the screens are breakable, but everything behind them won't be. These things are expensive for a reason," Perceptor told him.
"You can also control the time in their using a control panel. You can make it day, night, whatever," Wildrider told him. "It's really cool."
"So… nothing," Onslaught growled, frustrated.
"It's a very recreational area," Perceptor defended. "We'll probably won't find any worthwhile information in there."
"Well, at least we got something to enjoy. All of these corridors and objects at all the open places have made it impossible just to drive freely. Great to have a place where I can actually get top speed," Blurr commented.
"I know! Isn't it great!?" Monobear shouted appearing from out of no one and jumping onto the center of the table.
"Of course you show up," Blast Off groaned. "Why is a terrible being like you doing here?"
"I just came to see how all my favorite teachers are doing. You all looked pretty bummed at the trial yesterday, so I just wanted to make sure how you all we doing," Monobear told them, trying to sound sincere, although no one was buying it.
"What, you're not done being a giant pain in everyone's ass?" Blurr asked in annoyance.
"Blurr, shut it. Remember what happened last time?" Hoist reminded him.
"I know… but it's so tempting."
"Well, you have to be good for something. The trials have proven that being smart is not something you're good at," Monobear snarked back at him.
"Ha! Even he knows that you're a moron," Knock Out laughed.
"At least I'm not so vain that it's the only thing I care about and completely doesn't care about everyone dying," Blurr sniped back.
"And you can bite my gloriously shiny, metal aft," he fired back.
"Oh, fight among the pretty ones. I like this," Monobear said, rubbing his paws together.
"Him, pretty? Hah, please, no one can match my magnificence," Knock Out continued to brag.
"At least I'm not empty on the inside," Blurr took a swipe at him.
"Okay, enough!" Onslaught yelled at them, silencing them, before turning to the bear. "What are you doing here?" he questioned him.
"Well, I'm just walking around, checking you out, wondering how you're, when you're going to figure out you have a mole in your ranks, maybe go out for drinks with-"
"What!?" he shouted and everyone else was giving similar shouts with Jazz, Hoist, Blurr and the two Stunticons giving each other looks of frustration. Looks like they were going to have to tackle this a bit early.
"Hey, everyone calm down, now!" Jazz shouted at everyone as he stood up.
"How can we calm down? We got a mole in our ranks," Skywarp shouted at him.
"I know. I've been aware of this for quite some time," Jazz told them, which earned a look of surprise from everyone who didn't know.
"How do you already know?" Onslaught questioned him, leaning in to glare harder at him.
"I learned this from Blurr at the time when the third motive was revealed. His datapad mentioned the mole and gave the candidates for it," Jazz told them.
"So we can limit the mole to six people? Who are they?!" Bludgeon questioned.
"The six people mentioned were Chromedome-"
"What!?" Rewind yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
"-Mirage-" Jazz continued, trying to ignore everyone.
"Come again?" Blast Off questioned, leering at him.
"-Nightbeat-"
"Oh, no fragging way is that true," Skywarp immediately said.
"-Perceptor-"
"What did you say?" Perceptor questioned, glaring at him.
"Smokescreen-"
"Oh come on! You think I'm a serial killer and a mole!" Smokescreen predictably complained.
"-and Ratchet," Jazz finished naming them off.
"Wait, what?!" Drift asked, standing up while Ratchet had a shock look on his face. "You're making that up. No way would Ratchet even consider working with this bastard bear."
"Hey, you don't have to be mean," Monobear cooed. "Besides, I can confirm that who he lists as suspects is correct. I got bored of him and the others sidestepping the issue."
"Others? Who else knows and why was I left out!" Drift questioned everyone, glaring at them and putting a hand oon his side we he would normally be holding his sword.
"Oh, I'll tell you. It was Jazz, Burr, Hoist, the two Stunticons, and the deceased Counterpunch that all knew of their being a mole, upupupupup," Monobear told them. "You guys are really good at keeping secrets from each other."
"Seriously?" Knock Out scoffed. "You couldn't let me in before I got busy fraternizing with a possible mole?" he asked them before glaring at Ratchet, who noticed.
"Knock Out, do you honestly think I'm a mole?" he asked him, turning his glare at him.
"One out of six chance," Knock Out told him.
"And this is why I didn't tell anyone about this. Look what happening and you're already eyeing each other like potential traitors," Jazz told them.
"Can you blame us?" Bumblebee asked him. "We have to trust each other and how can we do that when of us is a traitor?"
"He has a point. At least I can trust my fellow Decepticons," Mixmaster muttered. "I surprised none of them are possible choices for the mole, but I'm fine with that."
"That is certainly the most odd thing," Dead End acknowledge. "I have no idea why anyone would work with Monobear, especially another Autobot, and I've been mulling this over for quite a while."
"Especially your gestaltmate. I thought he be a suspect for the mole for sure," Blurr told him.
"Hey, I'm shocked too. I'm surprise he would just look me over as a mole to use," Wildrider agreed. "Hey, bear! Why didn't you ask me to help?"
"I did. You said no, slagger," Monobear answered.
"What?!" Wildrider asked, standing up to glare at him. "Why would I, everyone's favorite psychopath, disagree to go along with you? You're speaking scrap!"
"Why are you being insulted by not meaning such an asshole that you would go along with him to convince people to murder each other?" Beachcomber asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you're an odd one," Monobear acknowledge. "Thing is, you changed. When that happen, you wouldn't help me with this, and I was pretty sad at that. One could even said I was despairing and then I was loving that again."
"What the… are you insane?! Why would I do that?!" Wildrider asked him, glaring at him, as everyone balked at him calling someone else insane.
"You know, I'm spoiling things. Let's get back to relevant points, that being, someone else is a mole!" he shouted to the room.
"Well, if what's being said is true, than there's like a 50% chance of the mole being dead, so let's just relax," Smokescreen said, leaning in with a bored expression on his face.
"He has a point," Hoist acknowledge. "Three of the six are already dead. Maybe we were lucky and one of them was the mole."
"Do you really think we would be that lucky?" Dead End asked. "Chromedome loved Rewind too much to betray him, Mirage and Hoist formed a certain friendship that I doubt he was willing to do if he was the mole, and Nightbeat straight up saved our lives. I would feel uncomfortable saying any of those three was a mole," he rebuked, crossing his arms.
"Come on, can you just give us this one," Smokescreen asked.
"Coming from a suspect, no. Wouldn't someone who is the mole be wanting us to just completely ignore the problems," he questioned him and Smokescreen grimaced at that and a couple of people were suspicious at that.
"Oh, you felt that burn! You feel it!" Monobear bragged hopping over to Smokescreen and getting next to his face. "You feel that? That burn on you? It must sting."
"Back off. I want to push you away, but you might stick a spear in me for that," Smokescreen told him.
"Hey, Smokey, want any ice? Maybe some liquid nitrogen?" he asked him dangerously.
"Not really, you plushy asshole. Now go away," he told him.
"Hmph, you have good patience… or the mole! DUN DUN DUN!" Monobear shouted out.
"Or I just hate people who pontificates on useless bullshit. Now fuck off and get in someone else's face," he told him and Monobear looked flabbergasted.
"Such language! I like it, pupupupup!" he chuckled before hopping off back to the center as Smokescreen glared back at Dead End.
"Look you narcissistic, cynical fatalist, the reason why I'm pointing this out is because there is a 50% chance of the mole already being dead. Simple logic. Besides, you want to talk about making it difficult to think one of those three is the mole, what about us? Ratchet's has been a solid support in the cases as the coroner along with Knock Out, Perceptor is figuring out the background of this place better than anyone else, and I was pretty much the guy saving everyone's asses when Nightbeat went and commit suicide with Mirage's trap, so please realize the all six of us are unlikely moles. Just because the worst case scenario is the mole being among us and still alive, it's not instantly true," he explained to him, sitting up straight, crossing his arms, and smugly smiling at him. Dead End thought it over, thinking it through for a little bit, before answering.
"Good point. It is hard to imagine either one of you six as a mole, considering your relationships or your interactions, but one of you is the mole, if Monobear's word hold true," he agreed, looking over to Monobear. "Are you telling the truth?"
"Oh, come on. Of course I ways and you all know how good I am. I got all your dirty secrets correct remember?" he reminded them, which caused Dead End to flinch at that comment. "So, if all of those were correct, I can assure you that the mole thing is all true."
"Well… better keep a close on the Ratchet, Smokescreen, and Perceptor," Dead End muttered.
"I agree, even if the mole is already dead. We can't afford to have possible traitors alone," Jazz agreed, although he sounded hurt to do so.
"This is ridiculous. No way would Ratchet betray us," Drift complained, crossing his arm. "Bet it was Mirage. He was always so sympathetic to the Decepticons and I know he gave funds to them as well. Who's to say he didn't fund Monobear's-"
"Shut up! No way is Mirage the mole, you got that?" Hoist told him.
"You said that when he killed someone. I wouldn't be surprised-"
"Do be quiet. You're ideas are nonsense," Blast Off interrupted, annoying Drift and surprising Hoist.
"Why do you said that? Mirage was-"
"Insecure. Tricking him to give funds by making him think we'll be friends. He always bough friends, never made them. He wanted to belong and he had the funds to stay in some minor circles, but never the big ones like I was. Lying to him about being his friend was easy. He just throw money and hopes it sticks," he told him.
"What's your point?" Drift asked.
"He always wanted his friends to past reforms to help society. He was an idealist. It made him easy to manipulate. From knowing him a significant portion of my life, I can confirm that he had a big spark and always believed in doing the right thing. He may have done some immoral things, but everyone does and I know he was too good a person to have done it. Ironic that I believe in the good of a person over you," he remarked, which caused Drift to grimace at the sniper.
"Look, he said that an Autobot was a mole. I'm just pointing out the most likely one," he told him.
"And I'm telling you he's one of the least likely. If we're looking for moles, I can't think of anyone better than Perceptor," Blast Off told him.
"Oh, really?" Perceptor asked, glaring at him. "Any reason why, or are they just baseless claims?"
"What have you done?" Blast Off asked. "All you done is chase after leads that have gone nowhere and you have a tendency to interfere at trials more than help," he told him.
"That's it? Inaction? Last I check, a mole has to actively damage the group somehow," Perceptor told him.
"Who do you care for? What do you have to live for? Your studies that this game would be invaluable for you?" he questioned for him.
"What are you talking about?" Perceptor asked.
"Have you been watching everyone, taking notes about how they act? Did you get bored and decided to join in to see what it was like?" he questioned him.
"Oh, now that's absurd, coming from some disgraceful ex-senator who actively screwed everyone over to save himself," Perceptor sneered.
"Shut up. Both of you! Don't you see that's what this asshole wants?" Jazz asked, glaring at the monochromatic bear. "Is this your motive, you psychopath?"
"Hah! As if! I have something a little more… destructive plan for your motive, but that will come later. We need to wait a little bit with every trial," Monobear told him.
"Then what's the point" Nautilator asked.
"I was bored. Ugh, I sent this information to cause chaos and despair, not limiting it to a few people and not telling everyone. It had to come out sometime, and if they weren't going to, I was," he said, sounding gleeful.
"So you want to expedite the process," Dead End said.
"Basically, yeah," Monobear shrugged. "But remember, this isn't a motive and if you're planing to kill someone, I recommend waiting until that comes. Trust me, you'll want to hold it off until then."
"What are you planning?" Perceptor asked.
"I'm planning some awesomely despairing stuff," he answered simply.
"That's not very descriptive."
"So?"
"Vagueness is not something I appreciate," he told him.
"Huh-huh, yeah, whatever. Don't care," he said as he walked off. "I'm heading out. See you slaggers later," he told them as he jumped off the table and out the doorway. The group glared at where Monobear was before looking at each other, in particular, everyone was switching their view from the three potential moles.
"So… how are we going to deal with you three?" Dead End questioned, wondering what to do.
"Well, we're going to have to put a leash on them, for starters," Onslaught said. "Drift, I trust you'll stay by Ratchet's side."
"Of course I will. I know he didn't do anything wrong and he's my friend," he told them.
"Right, now for the other two, who'll take them?" he asked them.
"I'll take Smokescreen. We have good chemistry," Hoist answered.
"And Perceptor?"
"I think I'll take care of it," Mixmaster replied. "I'll make sure he doesn't run off by himself to some place strange."
"Good. Now, I believe we're done here."