AN: Hey, I just want to say, 87 chapters in, thank you to all who have read this far. I know it's a long read, but I hope it was worth your time.

"Eight o'clock. Almost time for the memorial," Knock Out said as he looked to the clock in the Med-bay.

"Yes, it is," Bludgeon nodded as he looked to Nautilator. He was sitting on Nautilator's table right behind his head. "Will you be ready for the memorial at nine?"

"Y-yeah, I think so," the Seacon responded, "although I might need your help to move around."

"I can do that," the metallikato expert said with a pat on his shoulder. "I'll take you anywhere."

"Thank you," Nautilator said happily.

"Well, that's good," Knock Out said as he turned to Hound. "What about you?"

"The memorial, huh… everyone going to be there?" Hound asked him.

"We hope so."

"Well… I'll see if I can make it. If I have any trouble, you can help me there," the preservationist told him.

"I can do that."

"Good… I want to see Rewind again. He hasn't talk to me in a while," Hound told him.

"I'm aware of that. You two haven't talked in quite a while," Knock Out remarked. "Last time you two spoke was the day after the previous trial, correct?"

"Yeah… I really want to talk to him again," Hound murmured. "It's been so long. Days feel like years here."

"It is starting to feel like that," Knock Out agreed. "Especially since we don't know how long we've actually been here."

"Yeah… those datapads can't be fake, can they?" Hound asked him.

"If they faked them, then it's one elaborate lie," Knock Out remarked as he went to reclean some tools. "I mean, so many pictures and documents that never occurred is an amount of detail that seems unbelievable. Not to mention that there wouldn't be a purpose for it. Why do it? I don't think they would, so it has to be the truth."

"Which means, our memories are heavily censored," Bludgeon said. "The question is, how much?"

"That, I don't know. At the very least, we're missing a few years," Knock Out stated as he finished and put the tools back up.

"Hmm… what happened during that timespan?" Bludgeon wondered.

"Obviously, we were teachers. The pictures don't lie," Knock Out stated.

"You mean Bludgeon tolerated us for that long?" Hound asked as he looked to the large mech. "No offense, but you're not what I expect a teacher to be."

"Your critique is valid," Bludgeon acknowledged. "I myself don't consider myself capable of being a teacher, but maybe I was wrong."

"There is no shame in being wrong. I'm wrong all the time," Nautilator said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you're not very good at the trials," Hound remarked.

"Indeed. Him not being at trials probably helped moved it along," Knock Out commented.

"Indeed. For as much as I care for Nautilator, he does make a remarkable amount of factual errors," Bludgeon remarked.

"Okay, that wasn't an invitation to gang up on me," Nautilator told then seriously.

"Sorry, you left yourself open to that," Hound apologized to him.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," the seacon sighed. "I'm always the one people can make fun of with no consequences. Nobody cared about me."

"All I remember is how much I have to fix you when you inevitably hurt yourself," Knock Out remarked. "I saw you with an alarming regularity."

"Yeah, sorry. I know I'm always taking time out of your day to help me," Nautilator told him.

"It's my job. It's what I do," Knock Out scoffed. "You don't have to apologized for making me do my job."

"Right, sorry… I apologized too much, don't I?" Nautilator asked in an embarrassed tone.

"Yes, you do," Bludgeon said with a disappointed sigh before patting the (un)luckster. "Work on that."

"Yeah, I think I can do it," Nautilator nodded.

"Right… guess we should get these guys over to the racetrack," Knock Out stated. "Might take a while to transport them there."

"I'll comply as best as I can, Knock Out," Hound said as he forced himself up on his elbows to get himself in a sitting up position. "Ready to get the hell off this damn table."

"Yes, I believe it is about time for you to get off that slab," the red mech agreed as he came over to him. "Hmm… Bludgeon."

"Yes?"

"Can we be more practical? Nautilator is a lot lighter than Hound, so he be easier for me to help him," Knock Out told him.

"Would that be find with you?" Bludgeon asked his friend.

"Yeah, sure. No problem," Nautilator agreed.

"Alright, let's get going."

"Ugh," Bumblebee and Drift groaned as Onslaught and Swindle stood at a distance.

"Purging is not pretty," Swindle remarked.

"It sure isn't," Onslaught agreed.

"Someone's going to have to clean it, but it ain't going to be us," Swindle remarked.

"Yeah… but we're going to have to clean them before the memorial," Onslaught remarked. Indeed, while purging the contents they drank up, they got quite a bit of their bile on themselves, as well as on the floor and the benches in the room.

"Yeah… they don't look very representable," Swindle agreed. "We'll have to take them back to the dorms and clean them up before it begins."

"Yeah… hopefully, they're a lot more sober now and we can move them with a lot less resistance this time," his leader said.

"If not, we can always punch them to unconsciousness and carry them over," Swindle remarked with a grin.

"We could," Onslaught said with a actual chuckle. "A little one-two and they be down for the count."

"I'm sure Brawl would appreciate it," Swindle remarks as he thinks. "I remember he did that to me once. Woke up with a splitting headache and energon dripping down the side of my head."

"Yes, I remember that. According to Brawl, you were making an unsightly mockery of yourself," Onslaught remarked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I know. I had to bribe some people who took footage of me. So embarrassing," Swindle said with a grumble. "I should really learn how to ignore a drink."

"It would certainly help," Onslaught agreed as he looked to see Bumblebee and Drift helping each other off the floor.

"Ugh… I feel like shit," Bumblebee said.

"Same," Drift agreed.

"Alright, you two seem sober enough," Onslaught said as he approached them. "We have less than an hour before the memorial. We need to get you two cleaned up. Bile on your frame is not appropriate for such an occasion." The two Autobots looked down at themselves to see some of their bile on themselves.

"Ugh… I can't believe we look like this," Bumblebee said with disgust. "We need to get to the shower as soon as possible."

"I agree," Drift said with a grumble.

"Glad you agree. Me and Swindle will help you both get to your room," Onslaught said as he turn to his gestaltmate. "You help Bumblebee. I'll assist Drift."

"I can do that," Swindle agreed as the two came over to them and held on to them carefully.

"It's not like we need your help," Drift said to them.

"But we appreciate it all the same," Bumblebee said to them. "It's good that we're getting along."

"Agreed. I don't want us to start murdering each other again. We all know that Monobear is doing this for his own benefit," Onslaught said. "Whether for entertainment or psychological experiment, all this is done at the expanse of our suffering."

"The fragger. Don't understand how that psychopath can do this to us," Swindle grumbled as they opened the door out.

"Am I supposed to clean that?"

"Gah!" Swindle yelled as a monobot stood in front of them. The monobot was looking behind them at the bile that was on the floor and bench before examining Bumblebee and Drift.

"A reminder: Iacon Wasteland is not good if you don't want to get sick. There is a drinking game around it for a reason that is highly unadvised," the Monobot advised them.

"You gave us the damn drink," Drift complained.

"Only because you asked. Remember, I follow all orders so long as I don't help you murder someone," Monobot told them. "That said, if you need some help covering a crime up, there might be some loopholes that can be arranged."

"We don't want them," Onslaught brushed him off.

"I understand. After all, Monobear hasn't even released the next motive. It be rather pointless to kill without a motive in play," the AI remarked.

"We're not going to kill again," Swindle said to him with a grimace. "We've lost too many people."

"How many times have you said that?" Monobot asked them. "We've had five incidents already. It is statistically likely for another murder to occur."

"I can't agree with that. We shall not let all of died be in vain," Onslaught said as he clenched his fist.

"I understand why you think that," Monobot remarked with a small bow. "These murders must've taken its toll on you and your fellow gestaltmate the most. A bond like that… it's much by very few."

"I think Rewind might argue against that," Drift remarked. "He lost his conjunx because of this sick game."

"Ah yes, that is true," Monobot acknowledge. "The poor archivist lost his conjunx. A very strong bond as well."

"Something you won't ever understand," Onslaught stated.

"Hmm… true, emotional bonds are not something I engaged in. It is fairly pointless," the AI agreed. "Besides, so long as there's despair, I'll be fine. No need for any bonds."

"It's impossible for you to understand," Swindle said to him as he gestured to the others. "Let's go. We need to get ready for the memorial."

"Right. Let's go," Onslaught ordered. "All he cares for his despair. Let's leave him to himself." With that, the four of them walked off, the AI watching them leave as they did so.

"Hmm… guess I'll have to clean now," the AI said as he sent another version of himself with cleaning supplies over.

"DEAAAAADY!" Wildrider yelled as he pounded on the door. "Time for the memorial!"

"Must I remind you they're soundproof," Perceptor remarked, annoyed. "I hate repeating myself, you know."

"Sorry," Wildrider apologized as the door opened to show an annoyed Dead End with Sparky on hand and a datapad clipped to his hip.

"Shall we go?" Dead End asked them. "The sooner we're done, the sooner I can return to my room in peace."

"Well you're not excited, but at least you're determined," Perceptor remarked.

"That was kind of a bad thing at the last trial," Wildrider remarked. "I like lack-of-effort Deady more."

"I don't care for your opinion," Dead End said bluntly as he started walking. "Let's leave."

"Right behind you!" Wildrider said as he followed behind him. Perceptor gave a sigh as he followed behind them.

"I'm friends with maniacs," the scientist muttered to himself.

"9PM. Any stragglers not here yet?" Bludgeon asked everyone that was there.

"It appears that Jazz and Rewind are still not here," Hound said, disappointment in his voice as he sat on the ground next to Nautilator.

"We'll wait a little longer for them, but no more," Dead End said as he read his datapad with sparky on top of his head, Wildrider making sure it stays balanced on his head by constantly adjusting it.

"Come on, Deady. We can wait for them," Wildrider said to him.

"It would be rude to do so," Perceptor agreed with him. "We just need to wait a bit."

"But we better not wait too long. I really want to take Nautilator back for further examinations," Knock Out said to them.

"I'm fine for now. Honestly," Nautilator told him as he sit.

"I think we need to get you back as soon as possible," Bludgeon agreed with Knock Out. "We need to make sure you are completely fine."

"A wise decision. You have to care about your friends," Onslaught said as he looked to Swindle.

"But you also have to be careful about them," Hoist said as he glared at Smokescreen, who was laying on the ground on his back in a relaxed matter with his hands behind his head.

"Huh-huh, very true," Smokescreen said casually and Hoist scoffed with a shake of his head in disgust.

"Honestly, my head is such a mess, I like this to be over quickly as well," Bumblebee agreed as did Drift as they sat together, helping each other to nurse their hangover, both looking clean now.

"Well, we still need Rewind's effigy of Chromedome, right?" Skywarp asked. "We can't start without it."

"He's right. All of us who had one have given ours," Beachcomber stated. Strap to the top of each poles was one of the effigies, except for one pole, which was still barren.

"That isn't good… should someone look for him and Jazz?" Scavenger asked.

"Looking for me?" a voice said and everyone turned to see Jazz coming over. "Sorry I'm late. I'm pretty invested in my research."

"Your research? Still looking at all the stuff you got from the archives?" Mixmaster asked him.

"Yeah. It's a lot of information to go through, but I'm doing as best I can with all the dense information," Jazz explained to them.

"With him here, all that leaves is Rewind, right?" Blurr asked.

"Yes, he's still not here yet," Knock Out acknowledged. "Wonder what is taking him so long."

"I could go search for him. It would be bad if… you know," Blurr said, leaving the implication in the air.

"Y-yeah… go search for him, please," Hound agreed.

"Oh, come on. He ain't dead yet. Monobitch hasn't even revealed his motive," Smokescreen said to them.

"Shut up you bastard!" the preservationist yelled at the serial killer.

"What. It's the truth," Smokescreen said with a shrug. "He probably just decided not to come. That's all."

"We can't take that risk in an environment like this," Perceptor stated. "Ten of us are dead. We must not let anyone die."

"Right!" Blurr agreed. "I'll head on over right now and-"

"I'm here," Rewind spoke up.

"Rewind!" Hound said as he noticed him. "You're okay!"

"Yeah. Sorry for worrying all of you," the archivist apologized as he went over to Bludgeon and offered the effigy of Chromedome to him. "Here."

"Thank you, small one," Bludgeon said as he bent over and picked it up from him carefully.

"Welcome," Rewind muttered as he stepped back and looked to Hound. "Hey."

"H-hey," Hound greeted him back. "Been a couple of days."

"Yeah," Rewind agreed as he stood awkwardly before coming over and sitting next to the green bot as everyone else ekpt talking to each other. "How are you?"

"I'm… I'm fine. More importantly, how about you?" Hound asked him. "I know I… I scared you earlier."

"I'm… I'm fine," Rewind assured him. "I know I've let you alone for all this time."

"Well, I've had Knock Out and Bludgeon to talk to, but neither are much for small talk," Hound remarked.

"Yeah…" Rewind agreed. The two sat quiet for a second before Hound spoke again.

"Look, Rewind. I just want us to talk," Hound said. "I've only said what I did because I want to protect you."

"I know. It's just… Chromedome died because he saved my life. I don't want the same to happen to you," Rewind said to him.

"Rewind… I understand. It's why I'll wait until we're out of here to get justice. And I'll make sure to get it the right way. I'll play along with Jazz's intentions of doing it legally. Judge, jury, and hopeful execution," Hound assured him.

"That's good… but you still scared me back then" Rewind told him.

"And I'm sorry," Hound assured him as he wrapped his arm around Rewind, "but I just wanted to protect you. Someone innocent like you doesn't deserve being here."

"None of us do," Rewind said. "We shouldn't be here. None of us should. Not even Smokescreen."

Hound sighed at that. "I guess you have a point. None of us belong to this hellhole. When we get that damn mastermind, we'll execute the fucker. To avenge Chromedome. To avenge everyone."

"Yes… we can't let his death be in vain," Rewind agreed.

"Glad you think so," Hound said with a small smile.

"All done," Bludgeon said as he finished prepping the pole for the effigy. "Now, are we ready for the flames?"

"Yes… I believe so," Jazz agreed as they all had various forms of agreement.

"Good," Bludgeon said as he grabbed a piece of metal with a cloth wrapped around one end of it. The metallikato expert grabs the blowtorch and turned it on, bring out a small flame, before bringing it to the cloth and setting it alight. He discarded it back to its proper place and went to the poles one by one, using the metal piece to keep distance as he sets it each one on fire. Shockwave, Soundwave, Vortex, Brawl, Punch, Counterpunch, Chromedome, Mirage, Nightbeat, Blast Off, and Ratchet.

Bludgeon paused as he reached the pole that held the final effigy; Jhiaxus. "I'm sorry," Bludgeon said as he slowly brought the makeshift torch to the pole. The fire slowly headed up the base of the pole, slowly covering it in flames.

And that's when Bludgeon felt something on his arm. He scrunched his face up in confusion as he brought his arm up to see a water droplet on it. "What the…?" Bludgeon wondered as he felt more and more water coming down. "No! Stop! It'll put out the fires!" the metallikato expert yelled as all the others looked around in confusion at all the rain.

"What the hell… where did this rain come from?" Drift wondered.

"We're indoors, right?" Beachcomber asked.

"We should be," Jazz muttered as Bludgeon was grabbing more accelerant and putting them on the poles to keep the flames.

"STOP! Stay alit!" Bludgeon yelled as he tossed more and more accelerant, trying to keep the flames going, but it wasn't working as the flames started to die. No matter how much Bludgeon tried, the flames soon faded to embers and all that was left was the charred remains of the poles and effigies, leaving Jhiaxus's effigy untouched. "NO! Where did this rain come from!" Bludgeon yelled as he looked around angrily.

"I did it!" Monobear yelled as he came out of nowhere to greet them. "Fire is very dangerous. I had to put it out before he got out of control! You could've start a wildfire!"

"YOU INSOLENT BEAR! How dare you!" Bludgeon growled at the plushy bear.

"What's wrong with you?! Did you just come to ruin our memorial?" Skywarp questioned him.

"Well, I won't lie, I did wanted to do that. All of you pretending that another murder won't occur is pretty funny and pathetic, and I had to ruin that optimistic thought in your head. But, that isn't the main reason. You're all here and it's also about that time," Monobear explained to him.

"Huh? 'About that time.' Do you mean-" Rewind attempted to ask him.

"Yep! That's right! It's time for another motive!" Monobear said to them.

"Why you… what is it this time?" Mixmaster asked the bear angrily.

"Oh, for what that motive is… I'm keeping it a secret!" Monobear said to them.

"What? What does that mean?" Drift asked him.

"Oh, you'll see. Trust me," Monobear chuckled. "I will tell you how it works though. The motive will affect each person in the morning and will continue to do so until a murder occurs or you all learn."

"Until we all learn? What does that mean?" Perceptor asked.

"Oh, just a little hint," Monobear said teasingly. "You don't understand, but you will very soon."

"That's all you're going to say!?" Blurr asked him. "You're never this vague!"

"Heh. You already found the answer to it earlier. You just have to remember," Monobear said to them.

"Huh. What do you mean?" Dead End asked, glaring at him.

"That's all for now! Bye-bye!" Monobear said. "And no more fires! My fur is not easy to dry from the rain!" With that, Monobear left, leaving all the teachers behind in the rain, the water washing all over them.

"Wow. What an asshole," Smokescreen said in disbelief. "Even I have better standards than him. Can't believe he actually left us out in the rain."

"That's what you're complaining about?" Knock Out asked him, annoyed.

"It's a dick move," Smokescreen said. "Who leaves someone out in the rain?"

"Uh, now is not the time, guys," Swindle said to them as he points to Bludgeon who was on his knees in front of the pole.

"I've… I've failed you," Bludgeon said as he stared at the unburnt effigy of Jhiaxus. "I'm so weak and powerless again. I'm sorry, master."

"Bludgeon…," Nautilator whispered as he attempted to stand up. "Stop. Please."

"Why? A creature as weak as me is unable to honor his master because of that bear… a single bear. Because of him, I can't do a damn thing. This shouldn't be possible," Bludgeon said to him as Nautilator got on his feet.

"Yeah. And I can't do anything really. Guess we're in the same boat there," Nautilator said as he stepped closer to him.

"Yes… we're all so pathetic," Bludgeon said to him and as Nautilator got closer, he believed he saw coolant forming in his optics.

"You're not pathetic. Pathetic is giving up. We may be weak and powerless, but we're not pathetic, are we?" Nautilator asked him. "We… we have to be able to defeat the bear, right."

"I don't know if we can. The possibility seems less and less possible with each day and now this… how can I live with myself when I let the bear stop me." As he said that, Nautilator saw him feeling up the handle of his sword in his scabbard.

"Bludgeon, don't," Nautilator said as he got next to him and wrapped his arms around him. "We… we can find another way. Don't think about it. Please. Don't. I need you."

"Y-you… you need me?" Bludgeon asked as he turned to him.

"Yes. I… I can't do anything without you. I'm just a pathetic idiot who hurts himself all the time without you. Please," Nautilator begged him.

"Nautilator…" Bludgeon said with a small sigh as he slowly released the grip on his sword. "Let's bring you back to the Med-Bay. You shouldn't have stand."

"Yeah… my legs hurt now," the seacon admitted as Bludgeon stood up and lifted Nautilator up in his arms.

"Shh… let's just bring you to the med-bay," Bludgeon said to him. "You need to rest. We all need to rest."

"Okay…" Nautilator agreed as he stayed silent as he was carried away.

"Guess… it's time for us to rest," Jazz sighed.

"I don't want too. That motive… I don't want to wake up with it affecting me," Beachcomber said to him nervously. "He said in the morning. That means when we wake up, one of us will be affected with it. I don't want it."

"Oh, calm down. I'm sure it isn't that bad," Wildrider assured him. "You just need to make sure it doesn't turn you into a murderous fiend."

"You're one to talk," Smokescreen remarked.

"And you're one to talk," Wildrider said with a laugh.

"Touché," Smokescreen said with a little nod.

"Look, I'm heading to my room. We'll deal with this motive tomorrow," Jazz said to the group. "Tomorrow, we need to figure out who's affected by the motive and figure out what the side effects of it are."

"That sounds like a good idea," Onslaught agreed with him." We need to identify the threat and contain it. Last thing we need is another murder."

"Yes. We may not know about what the motive is, but we need to stop it," Perceptor said to them with a nod. "But for now, we can't do anything. It's best if we rest up for now and brace ourselves for the motive."

"We have no choice, do we?" Scavenger asked nervously as he held on to Mixmaster.

"Indeed, we don't," Knock Out sighed as he went to Hound. "Come on, let's get you back to the slab."

"Fine," Hound agreed as he let Knock Out and Rewind help him up.

"I'll join you. Might stay the night," Rewind said to him.

"Thank you," Hound said with a small smile as they left together.

"Well, might as well take my leave," Dead End said as he walked off, causing Sparky to fall off.

"Hey, get back, Deady! You dropped Sparky!" Wildrider yelled as he followed behind with Sparky in hand.

"Stay away," Dead End said to him.

"Oh dear," Perceptor sighed as he walked off after them. "Better make sure Wildrider doesn't do something stupid."

"Scavenger, I'm guessing you want to stay with me, tonight," Mixmaster said to Scavenger.

"Yes, please!" Scavenger begged him. "Take me with you."

"Of course…" Mixmaster sighed as he petted him on the head. "Come on. Let's head to my room."

"R-right," Scavenger agreed as the two left behind him.

"Swindle. Feel comfortable by yourself?" Onslaught asked his subordinate.

"Y-yeah. I can handle it," Swindle assured him. "I just… hope we're both the same tomorrow."

"As do I. Let's go," Onslaught said as the two walked off.

"Hey, Drift… want to room together tonight?" Bumblebee asked him.

"Yeah, I guess," Drift said with a sigh. "Might be best to sleep with a friend these days. Is your room okay?"

"Of course. Let's go," Bumblebee said and the two walked off.

"Well, see you guys later. Stay safe," Jazz said to the remaining mechs as he too walked off.

"I'm out too. See ya," Blurr said as he ran off quickly.

"Ugh, tonight is going to be bad night," Skywarp complained as he walked off.

"Oh… I'm so staying up all night," Beachcomber said as he left, leaving two mechs behind.

"Well, well, just the two of us. It feels like destiny every time," Smokescreen said to Hoist as they stood together.

"It would appear so, much to my displeasure," Hoist said with a glare.

"So… want to be roomies for the next couple of days?" Smokescreen asked him.

"And let you kill me in my sleep? I'll pass you up on that offer," Hoist said to him.

"Aw, well… are you sure? You don't like being alone, do you?" Smokescreen questioned him.

"No… I don't," Hoist admitted, "but I'll take that over rooming with a serial killer."

"Alright… but remember, the offer is always open to just you, bud," Smokescreen said with a little wink.

"Don't call me that," Hoist said as he walked off. "Be seeing you around."

"Be seeing you around, indeed," Smokescreen said with a little chuckle before walking off on his own as well. "Here's hoping, tomorrow doesn't change you."