"So, how am I, Doc?" Hound asked Knock Out as he was checking up on him.
"Doing find. Everything is checking out. You might be able to attend the ceremony today," Knock Out said to him.
"Hey, that's great!" Hound cheered. "I feel far too vulnerable laying on this slab."
"With Bludgeon here, I don't think you have much to worry about," he remarked.
"Fair point. I don't know anyone who would dare screw with him," Hound agreed.
"Good that you think so," Bludgeon said as he looked over to them. "I will not let harm come to anyone in here."
"Good. We can't afford any more deaths here," Knock Out mentioned. "One was bad enough. Ten is a tragedy."
"If we can't figure out who the mastermind is and confront them, then it's going to be one hell of a tragedy," Hound said to them. "If we can't do that or find a way out, then only one of us can survive."
"We will find them and slaughter them," Bludgeon said to him with an intense glare. "They will beg and plead with us not to kill them and we will refuse when we drive our blades into him."
"I won't argue against that," Hound agreed. "Got to find the fucker first, wherever the hell he is in this academy. Hell, we don't even know if he's in the academy either. He could be controlling Monobear from somewhere else not in the building."
"That is true," Knock Out nodded. "We've haven't even establish whether or not the person responsible is even in the building now."
"I would imagine he would be in order to keep watch over us and act in person if he has too," Bludgeon muttered. "Running this 'game' must be a complicated affair. He would want to watch over it himself and not leave it solely at the hands of the VI."
"I sure wouldn't," Knock Out admitted. "If there are any malfunctions or anything like that, then he would have to be on hand to take care of it himself."
"Exactly. They would have to be around to take care of any unexpected errors," the metallikato expert said.
"Well then, we have to find them and kill them," Hound stated. "He's too dangerous to be left alive. The courts would be too good for him."
"I like the way you're thinking," Knock Out remarked with a grin.
"Considering what we've been through, it's only appropriate we get our own revenge on them," the Autobot remarked.
"Agreed," Bludgeon said. "This being… they are made of pure malice. All they cares about is our suffering."
"Indeed. The bear says he does all of this in the name of 'despair,' for whatever reasons," Knock Out muttered. "He has a screwed-up line of logic and reasoning."
"Very much so. He is… hmm?" Bludgeon hummed as he looked to Nautilator as he started mumbling. "Nautilator?" he asked as he got next to him with Knock Out hurrying next to him.
"B-B-Bludg-eeon?" Nautilator said weakly as his red optics online and he looked around.
"I'm here," Bludgeon said as he crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his head to ease him.
"H-h-hey," Nautilator said to him as he gave a faint smile.
"Hmph… greetings to you as well," Bludgeon greeted him with a relieved smile on his own, which Nautilator noticed.
"H-hey… you're smiling," the (un)luckster stated,
"I… I am?" the metallikato expert stated.
"It's… kind of scary," Nautilator told him, a little scared. "It looks like you're about to eat me..." Bludgeon's smiled changed to a glare.
"Very well… I agree," Bludgeon said with a nod to him. 'My face is not a kind one…'
"You appear to be in good health," Knock Out said as he looked at the monitor Nautilator was hooked to. "All the stats are normal, although you sound like very weak. Do you need some energon?"
"Yes… please," Nautilator moaned.
"I shall get you some," Bludgeon told him. "Please stay awake."
"I will. I'm just… so tired," the Seacon told him.
"I'll be back soon," Bludgeon said before sprinting out of the room as fast as possible, leaving the three behind.
"Guys. What… day is it?" Nautilator asked them.
"Day 20," Knock Out informed him.
"Twenty? It was day… 16 when I was knocked out," Nautilator gasped.
"Yes, it was… and two more died," Knock Out told him wistfully.
"What? Who?" Nautilator asked.
"Blast Off and Ratchet," Knock Out said, looking away.
"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry," Nautilator told him. "I know you and him were close."
"Yes, we were…," Knock Out sighed as finally looked the other two in the room over.
"What happen to you two?" Nautilator asked them.
"A bomb is what happened," Hound grumbled.
"Bomb?!" Nautilator asked, scared.
"Yes. The bomb was planted by Smokescreen and hit several people, me included," Knock Out informed him.
"But… he's still alive, right?" Nautilator asked him.
"That's right. You can blame Dead End's machinations for that," Hound said bitterly.
"The bomb had Blast Off at the apex of the explosion. When they took him to the Med-bay, Ratchet administer a syringe full of anesthesia to him. What he didn't know was that Dead End mixed one with acid in it and when Ratchet used it, he sent acid into Blast Off's body and killed him. Ratchet managed to figure out Dead End's trick and sacrifice himself to save us," Knock Out informed him of the details.
"That's… that's screwed up," Nautilator said in disbelief.
"No shit," Hound growled. "Even worse, Smokescreen admitted that he was the serial killer in Scavenger's secret and was the one who attacked him several days ago."
"Seriously?!" Nautilator yelled, shocked. "How… how can he do such things?"
"Cybertronians varied in many ways in their motive and morality. It's no surprise. It's only a surprise if they're good liars, which Smokescreen is," the doctor stated. "He's a natural and can fake being a normal, moral person very well."
"But not anymore," Hound stated. "We know who he is now and we won't let anymore not know about his true nature now."
"I hope so. We can't let him get away," Nautilator agreed.
"He's the one responsible for Blast Off and, loosely, Ratchet's death. We can't let him hurt any more people," Knock Out agreed. "We're trying to build a normal society again. We can't let it fall into decay again."
"Agreed. We can't let Smokescreen live, but we have to wait until we're out of this situation. If we kill him now, one of us will be executed for it," Hound stated.
"Killing him does seem like the best solution, but the higher ups would probably disagree with that decision," Knock Out muttered. "Probably recommend Dead End and Smokescreen get locked up with a therapist to help their mental instabilities."
"We can't let that happen," Hound stated. "We have to kill them. Can't let them hurt anyone else."
"Might be the best solution," Nautilator agreed. "I don't trust either of them very well… although I think I had fun getting over-energized with Dead End."
"Yeah… you two were pretty wasted," Hound chuckled as they heard the door opening and Bludgeon came on in with a whole jug of energon that he was carrying with both of his hands.
"I'm back," Bludgeon said as he went over to Nautilator, who looked shock.
"That's… a big jug," Nautilator said as the metallikato expert stood next to him.
"You need it," Bludgeon told him as he uncapped the jug. "Sit up straight and I'll help you drink it."
"Cold you help me?" Nautilator asked him and Bludgeon looked to Knock Out.
"Alright, I'll help him out," the doctor agreed as he went over to the unlucky mech and grabbed him by the shoulders before helping to lift him up slowly until he was sitting up almost straight.
"Good, now slide your faceplate back and open your mouth," Bludgeon ordered and Nautilator did so. Bludgeon brought the rim of the opening to Nautilator's mouth and slowly tipped it over to pour the energon into his mouth slowly. Nautilator gladly gulped the energon down, letting the liquid revitalize his weak body.
"Oh… feels so good," Nautilator said between gulps.
"I imagine it does," Bludgeon nodded as he continued to feed him. "You haven't had any in a while." Nautilator nods along with him as he swallows some more of the energon until a quarter of it was consumed.
"Oh… that feels so good," Nautilator said to him.
"Do you think you will be capable of walking tonight?" Bludgeon asked him.
"Yeah… I think so," he answered.
"I'll be the decider of that," Knock Out stated. "He's not leaving without a doctor's approval."
"Understood," Bludgeon nodded. "I do not wish for any adverse effects for Nautilator."
"I'll make sure everything is fine," Knock Out assured him. "If Nautilator is ready to walk, I'll let him join us at the ceremony today."
"Ceremony?" Nautilator asked.
"Yes. We'll be burning effigies of the ones that have fallen tonight at the VOF," Bludgeon informed Nautilator. "Morale is low and we're doing whatever we can to raise it. We hope to decrease the paranoia and murderous intent against everyone but the mastermind."
"Do you think it will help?" his friend asked him.
"I… I don't know, but it would put me a bit at ease," Bludgeon told him as he patted his leg. "I need something to calm me down."
"Well, I think I need something to calm me down as well now," Nautilator complained as he laid back on the berth. "Seriously, I've learned way too much in way too short of a time."
"Indeed. You should just lay here for a bit and relax," Bludgeon told him. "I'll inform everyone today of your recovery."
"Good idea," Nautilator nodded as he held the jug of energon close to him. "Just leave me with the energon and I'll be fine."
"I'll keep watch over him," Knock Out stated to Bludgeon with a pat on Nautilator's head. "He'll be fine under my care."
"I shall trust you with this duty, Knock Out," Bludgeon confirmed to him. "Watch over him until it's time for the ceremony."
"Understood," he nodded and Bludgeon gave a grunt of approval before turning to Nautilator again. "Take care, Nautilator. I'll be back soon."
"See ya," Nautilator waved him off and Bludgeon nodded before heading out.