Have you got the facts straight?
Monobear File #5
Victim: Blast Off
Location: Medical Bay
Time of Death: 12:47
Cause of Death: Exsanguination
Additional Notes: Victim was caught in an explosion.
Betting Pool
Smokescreen is hosting a betting pool among everyone for the race between Knock Out and Blurr with over a thousand monocoins involved.
Storage of Betting Pool
Smokescreen has placed the betting pool in his storage room to safeguard it against any thieves.
No Refunds
Smokescreen is not giving monocoins back until the trial is over. It's generally agreed that to ask for a refund now is an assholish thing to do.
Wildrider's Theory
Believes that Dead End's assault was a suicide attempt.
Alibis
Almost everyone was at the racetrack at the time of the assault and Bludgeon hasn't cleaned himself recently, leaving no one to be capable of assaulting Dead End at the time.
Bludgeon's Testimony
While in the sleeping area at 12:20, saw Dead End entered the triple-area building, assumingly heading to the medical bay with an object in his hands.
Energon-Stained Kitchen Knife
Found in the operating room. Thought to be the weapon that chopped Dead End's arm off, although it wouldn't be done in one strike.
Dead End's Severed Arm
Wire directions indicate a sawing motion and the angle suggests it was self-inflicted.
Tourniquet
Wrapped around the stump of what used to be Dead End's arm with energon splattered all over it. Was on him when he was found by Wildrider and Bludgeon.
Glass Container
Found in the sink of the Medical Bay having been recently washed.
Bludgeon confirmed that it belongs to Dead End.
Anesthesia Dispenser
Had one syringe left out of the five original one that Ratchet made before the race started.
Ratchet's Surgery Notes
Blast Off: Legs blown off as well as several fingers with injuries from shrapnel and force of explosion. Injected anesthesia to calm him down so surgery could happen uncomplicated, but he died shortly after injection.
Dead End: Arm was sawed off, but tourniquet prevented bleedout. Administered anesthesia to calm his struggles before patching the stump.
Knock Out: Heavy damage to upper body and head. Administered anesthesia to seize his writhing as wounds were patched
Laserbeak: Left wing was sliced halfway through. Administered anesthesia to soothe pain as wing was fixed and bandaged
Drift: Large head wound caused by rubble. Bandaged with additional steps needed to be taken later when he wakes up.
Hound: Large cuts on left shoulder and thigh as well as being impaled through the upper-left side of his body. Scavenger fixed the thighs and shoulder in the stands before cutting part of the rod off to free him and bring him over to me. Anesthesia was administered before removing the rod and fixing his wounds.
White Line
Had a grate there, but was replaced with a white line the night Dead End and Nautilator was at the VOF.
Location of Crate
The crate Swindle was trapped in was at the checker line before Nautilator and Dead End were found in the VOF, but at the white line after that.
Dead End and Nautilator's Head Injuries
Both of them were hit in the back of the head by a blunt object of some sort on their night out to
Onslaught's Nighttime Search Crew
Onslaught, Blast Off, and Smokescreen were searching at night from 11 PM to 2 AM with the former two taking the first building and Smokescreen taking the others.
Archives
The Archives were used during the search for Swindle and wouldn't open until noon on that day and won't open until 2 o'clock today.
Blurr's Testimony
Whenever he drove over the far left side of the white line, he always had this feeling that he was floating.
Shard of Glass
Bumblebee recovered a shard of opaque, blue glass from his shoulder, being inflicted during the explosion.
Bumblebee's Testimony
Claims to have heard beeping whenever the racers crossed the white line.
'Rusted' Stands
The stands by the checkered line had fake rust painted on it to fool Hoist into declaring it unsafe.
Checkered Line
Actually a piece of fabric that almost looks like paint.
VOF Time of Day
Timer was set ten minutes ahead with the black button untouched.
Gutter Entrance at the Crater
Scavenger found it after some digging in the crater.
Grate
Found in the Repair Bay with blue and red paint flakes on one side of it near the end of it.
'Rust' Paint Can
A paint can holding a special paint that makes objects look rusted. Available for 250 monocoins.
Trial is now in session!
"So, how should we do this?" Scavenger asked nervously.
"A rundown of events would probably be the best," Smokescreen answered.
"Well, uh, I discovered Swindle missing yesterday when I found his door opened," Onslaught replied, glancing over to Swindle, who was staying quiet and keeping his head down while hugging himself. He was still out of it. "After that, we all engaged in a search for most of the day, but only Smokescreen and Blast Off was with me throughout the night."
"The following day," Jazz continued, "we went to a planned race between Knock Out and Blurr at noon."
"At the fiftieth lap, a bomb went off, engulfing Blast Off, sending me to the ground, and flinging debris into the crowed," Knock Out said.
"After which, I had to operate on almost everyone injured from the explosion," Ratchet answered.
"As well as Dead End, who at the same time, had his arm chopped off under mysterious circumstances," Bludgeon added.
"It was painful," Dead End snarked darkly.
"Alright, so that's the order of events. The question is, what should be the first thing we figure out?" Blurr questioned everyone.
"Before we continue, can I mentioned something I found while searching the crater?" Scavenger asked them.
"Huh? What did you find?" Blurr asked.
"Uh, this," he said as he brought out a large, black piece of ragged cloth and what looked to be a plain black mask to go along with it to cover the face.
"What is that?" Rewind questioned him.
"It's a cloak and mask," Perceptor answered. "He found it while searching through the crater."
"Cloak and mask? Sounds more like an assassin than a bomber," Skywarp replied excitedly. "I've always wished they existed like in my comics."
"Well they don't," Ratchet muttered.
"Yeah, the closest we got to that is Bludgeon and he's more of a samurai," he agreed.
"I'll take your word for it, whatever a samurai is?" Bludgeon agreed.
"Look them up. You're exactly like them."
"Guys! We're trying to find killer!" Beachcomber reminded them. "We can talk comics later."
"Alright, killjoy. Hey, idiot with a lack of self-esteem. How exactly is that relevant?" Skywarp asked the Constucticon.
"Well, I think the bomber was using it to hide their identity while planting the bomb," Scavenger replied. "At least, that's all I can think of for it. I mean, I don't see any other reason for it."
"That would be my guess," Bumblebee agreed. "I mean, the cloak looks big and baggy enough to hide someone's frame. But what about the mask?"
"Adjustable. Can be used to fit a variety of faces," he replied. "Although it's a bit broken right now from the explosion."
"I didn't bring my toolkit with me to fix it, so don't bother asking me do so," Hoist told everyone.
"I don't think it matters," Mixmaster told him. "Still, good work, Scavenger."
"Heh, thanks," he replied.
Ammo Added: Cloak and Mask
Damaged cloak and mask found by Scavenger and Perceptor in the crater.
"Right, anything else?" Jazz asked the group.
"One thing on my part," Bumblebee told them. "I was observing the crate Swindle was stuffed in and noticed something odd about it."
"Odd? What are you talking about? It's just a crate… right?" Smokescreen asked, unsure.
"There was a hole," Bumblebee told them. "At the bottom of the crate, at around the height for Swindle's head."
"The bottom of the crate?" Perceptor repeated, confused.
"Yeah, I'm sure of it," he affirmed. "Also, I noticed that there was dirt on one side of it. It was on the lengthwise side that was looking at the checkered flag."
"That is pretty odd," Beachcomber muttered. "I wonder how that will play out."
Ammo Added: Crate
Had a hole where Swindle's head would be and dirt covered the lengthwise section facing the checkered line.
"Alright, is that all the evidence that everyone wants to mentioned?" Smokescreen asked the room. Ratchet looked around the room to look at everyone and see that almost everyone was complacent. Almost. Mixmaster was looking antsy, trying his hardest to keep quiet. Obviously, he found something, but doesn't want to talk about it just yet. He must've been waiting for the opportune moment to speak up. "Okay, so what do we need establish first?"
"Obviously, if we can, we have to establish when the bomb was planted," Perceptor told them.
That's going to be hard, since no one here can claim to have seen the act," Hoist told him.
"That's true, but maybe we can get a rough estimate," Perceptor recommended.
"Well, they could've planted it all through last night," Smokescreen told them. "I may have been up until two that night, but I was searching all the buildings aside from the main building. Fragger could've easily snuck in while I was in another building."
"He speaks the truth," Onslaught mentioned. "I gave him the directive to search the area for Swindle."
"Well, let's talk it," Perceptor told him.
Nonstep Debate!
Ammo Available: Onslaught's Nighttime Search Crew, Blur's Testimony, Shard of Glass, Location of Crate, Nautilator and Dead End's Head Injuries, Glass Container
PERCEPTOR: So, the bomber entered the VOF last night to plant the bomb.
PERCEPTOR: The question is, when exactly that night did they plant they bomb?
BEACHCOMER: Do you really expect us to find an answer to that.
WILDRIDER: Well, the bomber had to move quickly.
WILDRIDER: So he planted the bomb that night.
ONSLAUGHT: The fragger did a good job planting it.
BLURR: He pulled off everything that night.
BLURR: Did we find a place where he created the bomb?
MIXMASTER: No, we didn't. The labs and repair bay lacked any evidence that they were worked on.
SMOKESCREEN: Crafty slagger…
SMOKESCREEN: Is there anything we said that doesn't make sense?
JAZZ: I hope not. This case is already confusing enough.
RATCHET: That's not true!
Ammo Used: Location of Crate
"Wait, hold on, that don't sound right Blurr," Ratchet told him.
"Huh?" Blurr gasped, confused. "But, that makes the most sense, right?"
"I agreed that the bomb was planted last night, but he's been preparing for it since the night before last," he responded to him.
"You're kidding, right? What proof do you have for that?"
"You know the crate Swindle was trapped in?" Ratchet questioned him, which earned a nod. "Well, that wasn't always there. It used to be by the checkered flag, but it was moved over to the white line two night ago?"
"Hmm, he's right, Blurr. I distinctly remember the crate being there," Knock Out acknowledged.
"Yeah, I was there as well and can confirm that the box was originally at the checkered line," Smokescreen added to the choir.
"Plus, I have video evidence of it. To deny it wasn't there in the first place is foolish," Rewind gave the last piece to close any lanes of discussion. Blurr looked to be in shock by the amount of evidence before he corrected himself and spoke up again.
"Say, even though you may be right, couldn't it have just been a coincidence?" he asked.
"Unlikely, considering something else was changed that night too," Ratchet answered.
"Wait, there was? Well, what was it?"
Monobear File #5
Betting Pool
Storage of Betting Pool
No Refunds
Wildrider's Theory
Alibis
Bludgeon's Testimony
Energon-Stained Kitchen Knife
Dead End's Severed Arm
Tourniquet
Glass Container
Anesthesia Dispenser
Ratchet's Surgery Notes
White Line
Location of Crate
Dead End and Nautilator's Head Injuries
Onslaught's Nighttime Search Crew
Archives
Blurr's Testimony
Shard of Glass
Bumblebee's Testimony
'Rusted' Stands
Checkered Line
VOF Time of Day
Gutter Entrance at the Crater
Grate
'Rust' Paint Can
Cloak and Mask
Crate
"The white line over where the bomb was set off at wasn't there before either," Ratchet told him. "Rewind can confirm with his footage that it wasn't there until yesterday morning."
"Yeah, that's true. Remember when me, Hound, and Smokescreen was with you two nights ago? That white line wasn't there," Rewind told him.
"Hmm… you know, I think you're right. I drive fast, but I'm pretty sure now the white line wasn't there, but something else. What was it?" Blurr questioned them.
"It was a grate, running through the track," he answered. "I got the footage clearly."
"A grate?" Onslaught questioned. "So that must be where the bomb was planted, right?"
"Makes sense," Hoist agreed. "They placed the bomb in the grate and used the white line to cover it from view."
"But, if that's true, then Swindle must've been in the crate all this time and we missed him!" Onslaught yelled out, disappointed in his own failures.
"Actually, I don't think so," Blurr told him.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Onslaught questioned him.
"Because I looked through that yesterday," he told everyone, much to there surprised.
"And you fail to tell us that until now?" Bludgeon growled before slamming his fist on the stand. "Seems pretty suspicious."
"Woah, hold on there, I'm serious. I looked through that and found something else instead. Wires, a glass container, some other miscellaneous stuff. It's not important, but it proves Swindle wasn't there," Blurr told them.
"I say you're lying," he growled.
"I'm not, honestly!" he resisted.
"Then prove the worth of your testimony now," Bludgeon ordered.
"Alright, fine, geez," Blurr replied before speaking up about it.
Nonstop Debate!
Ammo Available:
BLURR: Look, on the day we all searched for Swindle…
BLURR: I looked through the crate and didn't find him in it.
BLUDGEON: Is that all?
BLURR: What else you want me to talk about?
BLUDGEON: Speak in detail about what you found in there.
BLURR: How is that relevant?
BLUDGEON: Speak!
BLURR: Alright, fine! Just calm down!
BLURR: Look, there wasn't much there.
BLURR: I remember that there were wires there.
BLURR: A container made of a bluish glass.
BLURR: What looked like a counter, I guess.
BLURR: That's all.
BLUDGEON: How pathetic…
RATCHET: I agree!
Ammo Used: Shard of Glass
"Hey, Blurr. What was that about the glass?" Ratchet asked, shocked.
"The glass. It was a bluish color, kind of opaque. Why?" he asked.
"That sounds like the shard of glass that entered my shoulder," Bumblebee replied, holding on to his bandaged shoulder. "I've been wondering where it came from."
"If what Blurr says is true, that means that Swindle wasn't in there and-"
THAT CAN'T BE!
Ratchet shifted his glare to Bludgeon, who was crossing his arm and was glaring at him as well, although his was significantly more intimidating then what Ratchet can mustered. "Do you really think Swindle wasn't in the crate?"
"I trust Blurr on this point. His testimony and Bumblebee's wound agree with each other," Ratchet told him.
"Huh, is that it?" he asked, unimpressed. "I expect better from you."
Cross Swords Battle!
Swords Available: Blurr's Testimony, Archives, Crate, Shard of Glass, Location of Crate, 'Rust' Paint
BLUDGEON: What Blurr says has to be lies.
BLUDGEON: According to everyone who was at the race…
BLUDGEON: …Swindle emerged from the crate.
BLUDGEON: That contradicts all of Blurr's claims…
BLUDGEON: …and puts his testimony to questionable.
…
DEVELOPMENT
…
RATCHET: Swindle emerged from crate alright…
RATCHET: …but the question of the matter is…
RATCHET: …was he always there?
BLUDGEON: Is that even in question?
BLUDGEON: He was in there!
BLUDGEON: That means that he had to have always been there!
BLUDGEON: Besides, we've searched everywhere on the hunt for Swindle…
BLUDGEON: …and he was nowhere to be found.
RATCHET: That can't be possible!
Sword Used: Archives
"Bludgeon, there was one place in our search that we didn't look, or rather, couldn't access," Ratchet pointed.
"Oh, really? I beckon you to tell me," he responded.
"Well, the archives have been inaccessible these past few days. Someone keeps using them without telling us about it," he told him.
"It has?"
"Yes. Me and Scavenger can confirm it," he told them. "It's not opening until 2 o'clock today."
"Wait, really? Why would anyone use it that late?" Smokescreen questioned. "I doubt it was a late-night study."
"Plus, we would have to ask what happened to the objects that Blurr found in the crate?"
"If I consider everything, I should find an answer. Just think it through carefully…"
Logic Dive!
Question #1: What were the archives used for?
To store evidence.
To store Swindle
To store the bomb
…
To store Swindle
…
Question #2: Where did the items in Blurr's crate go to?
Under the grate
To the archives
To the killer's room
…
Under the grate
…
Question #3: Why were they store under the grate?
They were the components of the bomb.
They were shrapnel for the bomb to inflict more damage
They needed fresh air
…
They were the components of the bomb
…
RATCHET: That's the order of events!
"Are you kidding me?" Ratchet growled, annoyed.
"Uh, what's wrong?" Blurr questioned nervously. "The items in the crate were irrelevant."
"No, they're the exact opposite of that," he chastised him. "Those items you found in the crate were components for the bomb, you idiot!"
"Wait, what?!" he gasped. "They can't be, right."
"It's the only answer that makes sense. Think about it. You saw the blue glass in there, just like in Bumblebee's shoulder. We didn't find anything else like that at the track, so they had to have been with explosion when it went off," Ratchet explained to everyone.
"And since they were there, that meant that Blurr's right and Swindle wasn't in there," Perceptor added.
"Which meant that Swindle had to be stored in the archives, correct?" Jazz asked.
"It would be the next best guess if it wasn't the crate," Bludgeon muttered. "I guess he was stored in the archives."
"The archives?" they heard someone speak up and everyone was quiet as they turned to Swindle, who had finally spoken up. "I wasn't in there."
"Huh?!" Ratchet gasped, caught off guard.
"I was drugged, but I know I was in the crate the whole time. I woke up once before the bomb was set off and I was in the crate. And I saw the bomber plant the bomb," he told them.
"What?!" Ratchet gasped again. He wished Swindle would keep quiet as nothing was making sense.
"Yes, I remember. He was cloaked, at that grate, with the sun shining down on them," he finished off and Ratchet was left dumbfounded. If what he was saying was true then the order of events was wrong and that comment… that comment was the most confusing.
"The sun was shining down on him? Are you saying the bomber planted it in the daytime!"