"Slag! Find Knock Out!" Skywarp yelled at both of them as he tried to calm the injured Autobot.
"Shit, I'm moving!" Blurr yelled to him as he quickly ran out of the classroom, a barrage of expletives coming from him as he ran.
"W-Well, this is unexpected," Dead End remarked blithely, trying his best to keep his usual attitude, but anyone can tell that he was shaken by this whole ordeal.
"I got no time for your slag, Dead End! Help me, now," Skywarp berated him.
"Yes, me and my one arm sure can help," Dead End said sarcastically to him as he headed for the exit, taking care not to step in the blood energon around the area. "I'll keep watch and make sure none of the evidence is disturbed instead."
"You strutless fragger," Skywarp cursed at him as Perceptor continued to groan in pain to them.
"We be better off if he died," Dead End stated to him as he headed out into the hallway. "He's likely the mole anyway."
"The only way we'll get him to tell us is if he survives," Skywarp reminded him as did his best to halt the bleeding and keeping his insides back in.
"If he dies, we won't need an answer," the poet informed him with a huff as he stepped out into the hall. As soon as he did, he noticed, another individual coming out of a room: Hound. The green mech closed the room behind him before looking over to the hallway.
"Dead End, what's going-" he stopped himself short when he noticed Wildrider's dead body slumped against the wall, unmoving. "Oh… damn."
"Yes… indeed," the cynic remarked to him with a scowl. "At least you look better yourself."
"Y-Yeah, Knock Out just released me this afternoon," Hound informed him as he walked over to him. "What's all the noise I hear in there?"
"Preceptor. He was nearly dead when we got here. He's hanging by a thread," Dead End informed him with a huff. "The ones who are dead is both Wildrider and Bumblebee."
"Bumblebee?!" Hound repeated, shocked. "Wow… he's so young."
"Was," the poet snapped at him. "Just like Wildrider was my gestaltmate."
"I… I know," Hound murmured as he looked inside to see Bumblebee's body, unmoving. "Damn… he didn't deserve that."
"He was certainly one of the more famed member, especially after what happened at Devola," Dead End remarked and the poet could see Hound visibly flinch at that as he looked away from the room.
"I… I need to go," Hound said to him as he walked past him.
"Where are you going?" Dead End asked him.
"To find someone," the preservationist told him as he headed to the library's entrance and entered, three figures passing by.
"What happened?!" Onslaught asked before he stopped at the sight of Wildrider. "Oh…"
"Damn… someone snuffed Wildrider," Swindle remarked at the sight of the dead Stunticon.
"How… did this happen?" Beachcomber wondered with a gulp.
"I finally know how you two feel," Dead End remarked to the two Combaticons with a scowl. "I've lost one as well."
"We heard the body discovery announcement go off twice. Who else is dead?" Onslaught questioned him.
"Bumblebee is the other deceased and Perceptor will join him soon enough if he doesn't get medical attention," the living Stunticon informed them both.
"Bumblebee's dead and Perceptor is injured? How the hell did this happen?! We had him on watch," the blue Combaticon ranted.
"A better question is why were Bumblebee and Perceptor in the infirmary on this floor," Dead End told them. "They were both supposed to be in Blurr's room, as ordered, yet they're here instead. I wonder what brought them both here."
"That's just the beginning of the questions we have," Swindle remarked as another dorm room opened to reveal Drift, who looked around to see everyone crowding around at the body of Wildrider.
"Dammit, it happened again!" Drift remarked as he came over to them see Wildrider's corpse before looking inside to see the still body of Bumblebee and the barely alive Perceptor. "Holy hell! Perceptor's still alive?!"
"Yeah, but he won't be for long if I don't get help!" Skywarp berated all of them.
"Move aside!" came the voice of Knock Out as he entered the room with Blurr and Jazz in tow. "I'll handle this."
"Oh, thank Primus," Skywarp growled as the doctor entered the bloody room.
"This place… is a mess," Knock Out muttered at the sight of the place.
"Just do your best to avoid the blood," the seeker told him, which the doctor agreed as he moved carefully over to the two of them to take in Perceptor's injuries.
"Damn, you're lucky to be alive," the one-optic mech remarked as he took in the scene. "We'll need to get him to the Med-Bay. The infirmaries aren't good enough to handle this."
"No need to tell me twice. Just tell me what to do," Skywarp told him.
"Can you warp all three of us?" Knock Out questioned him.
"I think I can. It'll take a lot of juice, but I can handle it," the seeker assured him confidently.
"Take us there," the doctor ordered him. Skywarp gave a nod to him as he grabbed a hold of him before warping them out of the room.
"Guess those two won't be helping with the investigation," Onslaught remarked with a sigh as he carefully entered the room, taking care not to step in all the blood around the room to get closer to Bumblebee's body to do a brief onceover. "Well, I can guess what Monobear is going to say that the cause of death is," he rambled to himself. "All of these stab wounds tell the tale that he was stabbed to death by a knife. About the only conclusion one could…" he paused as he saw the back of his head. "…What the hell?!"
"Huh, what caused that reaction," Swindle asked his commander from outside the room.
"There's a hole in the back of his head… and his brain's missing," Onslaught told them in shock at the sight in front of him.
"W-what!" the group outside asked in shock.
"Missing brain? Now that's interesting," Smokescreen remarked as him aim and Hoist finally arrived together and peaked out into the room together.
"Someone took Bumblebee's brain? Now why would they desecrate him like that?" Hoist wondered.
"Sounds like something your friend would do," Swindle remarked to him.
"He's not my friend," the engineer growled to him.
"Someone's in denial," the gambler remarked to him with a smirk.
"Can somebody tell me how something like this happened again?" Jazz asked as he came into the hallway. He looked over at the body of Wildrider and winced at the knife lodged inside of his head before peering inside the door to see Bumblebee's body and just gave a sad sigh at that. "First Optimus and now Bumblebee… this is really a tragedy."
"It sure is!" came the high-pitched voice of everyone's nemesis as he appeared out of nowhere, as usual. "Thanks for finally getting on the same page as me, Jazzy."
"We don't care about your attempts to destroy morale. Just make sure we all get your monobear file and leave," Dead End told him bluntly with a scowl.
"Oh? Ah, I forgot! This is a tragedy for you, isn't it? Your poor, crazy gestaltmate took one to the face, huh?" the monochromatic bear remarked to him with a snicker. The cynic's glare intensify at that, but he turned away from the bear before he went violent on him. "Well, whatever. I was hoping he get to kill somebody, but I'm sure his death will be interesting. And the Monobear files were uploaded the moment you found the bodies, so there's no near to badger me about facts that you should've read up on already."
"So is the only reason you're here is to mock us?" Smokescreen asked him, unimpressed.
"Well, no. I just want to tell you that, whether or not Perceptor lives through his attempted murder, I'm adding his file as well for you fraggers. I'm sure you will all need as much information as you can gather from this," Monobear told them.
"How surprisingly helpful of you… what's the catch?" Jazz immediately questioned his helpfulness.
"Oh, nothing from me. Just that I won't start the class trial until you find some important clues," Monobear informed them with a giggle.
"Important clues? Why won't you send us to the trail room until we find these clues? Normally you just give us a time limit," Drift remarked to him.
"You'll find out soon enough. Now, I'll leave you all to your investigation! If you have any questions, just ask! I'm 'beary' helpful," he told them before disappearing again, annoying them.
"Right, well, we better start investigating. We won't solve this standing here," Smokescreen told them.
"Woah, woah, who said anything about you investigating?" Swindle questioned him with a glare.
"Because I'm the best one around," the serial killer asserted confidently. "I solved the deaths of Mirage and Nightbeat. I can certainly solve this. Double murders are my speciality."
"This is highly disturbing," Blurr remarked on behalf of everyone.
"That's an understatement," Onslaught remarked as he came back in the hallway. "You're not investigating these murders, I am."
"Ah, please, I'm better then you and you know it," the gambler insisted to him as he got in his face with a look of arrogance.
"Like hell you are. I was designated the Ultimate tactician for a reason, you scoundrel."
"Scoundrel? That's the best you got, you weak-willed failure?"
"ENOUGH," came a voice, silencing their argument as they turned to see who yelled it: Dead End. "I'm heading this investigation and I will hear no protest about it."
"You? You tried to kill us all last time. Why should we trust you?" Jazz questioned him with a glare.
"Two reasons. One, the body discovery triggered when I found them, so I am not the killer in this case," Dead End informed him. "Second, Wildrider was my gestaltmate. Onslaught should know how that feels." At that, the leader of the Combaticons sighed to that as he gave a reluctant nod.
"I do. I can't say that Dead End can't investigate this when I was in charge of Vortex's investigation," Onslaught remarked with a sigh. "Alright, you have my okay to lead this."
"Hmm… I find Dead End investigating this to be very interesting. Alright, I'll follow your lead," Smokescreen agreed with a smirk to him.
"Is everybody else okay with that?" Jazz asked everyone else and they were all tense at that. None of them trusted Dead End, but they all had to admit that logically speaking, he wasn't the culprit of this case. "Alright, then we'll follow your lead, but don't betray our trust this time."
"I won't. I can't let Wildrider's murder go unanswered," Dead End told them as he looked down at his fallen gestaltmate. 'Someone has taken Wildrider's life as well as Bumblebee's life and attempted to kill Perceptor. I don't know who killed you, but I will figure it out and they will not escape.'
Investigation Start!
Head Detective: Dead End
Assistant Detective: Onslaught, Swindle, Smokescreen, Jazz
At that, everyone started to scatter, leaving him mostly alone with one exception. Jazz stood over the body with him, watching him closely. "I'm sorry for your lost. No gestalt should go through this."
"Your sympathy is noted," Dead End stated curtly with a nod as he stood up and brought out his datapad. "We need to read the Monobear Files."
"Right," Jazz murmured as he brought his out as well to read it.
Ammo Gained: Monobear File #6 (1)
Victim: Wildrider
Location: Dormitory Hallway in front of the Infirmary
Time of Death: Between 3PM and 4PM
Cause of Death: One stab wound through the left optic that pierced the brain, killing him nearly instantly. Only other wounds on his body are small cuts on his right palm.
"Looks like that knife is definitely what killed him," Jazz remarked with a sigh. "For someone as unpredictable as Wildrider, the matter of death is fairly straightforward."
"But no less brutal," Dead End remarked to him. "A single stab wound to the left optic. The culprit must've surprised Wildrider."
"In all likelihood, he stumbled onto the murder of Bumblebee and attempted murder of Perceptor," the spy deduced.
"So you're saying that Wildrider was collateral damage?" Dead End asked him.
"That's what I think is the likely answer," Jazz deduced. "The killer stabbed Bumblebee to death and nearly killed Perceptor as well, but Wildrider stumbled on them, leading him to being silenced."
"Hmm… I'm reluctant to agree with that," Dead End murmured. "Someone like Wildrider is unlikely to be collateral damage for someone elses crime. I say is was probably an intended target for the murderer."
"Because you know him better then anyone else?" the Autobot asked him in an interested tone.
"Among other things," Dead End insisted before he looked at Bumblebee's Monobear File.
Ammo Gained: Monobear File #6 (2)
Victim: Bumblebee
Location: Infirmary on the Dormitory Floor
Time of Death: Between 3PM and 4PM
Cause of Death: Victim suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest, arms, and left palm. Fatal injury was to the fuel tank, which bleed quickly when the knife was removed. Victim took several minutes to completely bleed out.
"So, Bumblebee seemed to really get in a fight with his culprit that led to his death," Jazz stated with a hum. "But it wasn't instant. He held on for several message."
"Then there's a likelihood he left a dying message of some sort," Dead End concluded. "It's unlikely he wouldn't try and point out the culprit with his final breath."
"Exactly. We should be able to find it in there," Jazz remarked to him confidently.
"Most likely," Dead End agreed. 'Still… why do I get the feeling something is missing from this file?'
"Anyway, let's take a look at the final one," Jazz suggested to him and the poet nodded to him as they looked at it together.
Ammo Gained: Monobear File #6 (3)
Victim: Perceptor
Location: Infirmary on the Dormitory Floor
Time of Assault: Between 3PM and 4 PM
Injuries: One stab wound to the abdomen. The weapon was stabbed straight through, twisted, and pulled out.
"Hmm… that is quite brutal. If he was left bleeding for a while longer, there's a possibility we wouldn't be able to save him," Jazz remarked to that.
"I'm sure everybody's happy that Bumblebee's died instead of him," Dead End remarked sarcastically.
"There is still an aura of suspicion on him, but I want to use this upcoming trial to determine his innocence," the audiophile told him.
"What do you mean?"
"We're technically tasked with finding the person who assaulted him, but I want to use this investigation as a means of investigating whether he's the mole or not," Jazz told him with a smirk. "With the investigation active, we should be able to have access to Perceptor's with Monobear's help."
"You think he'll go along with this?" Dead End asked him curiously.
"You better believe it!" Monobear announced as he came over again to talk to them. "I already taken the liberty of unlocking his room for that purpose. You may find the answers in there… or not."
"You would jeopardize your mole like this?" the cynic questioned him suspiciously.
"Now, now, I want to run a fair game," Monobear insisted to him with a huff. "I know I stack the deck in my favor, but I'm a fair bear and I'll give you a chance. I will not falsify evidence or halt your chances to investigate each other."
"You expect us to take someone who put us in this death game in the name of despair?" Jazz questioned him suspiciously now.
"There's different types of despair," Monobear reminded them. "Some want to cause despair by lying and falsifying evidence to get the reaction they want or by brainwashing them to their cause. I rather just let people find the beauty of despair themselves by setting up the circumstances."
"Is there truly a difference?" Dead End questioned him. "It sounds like you want to cause despair just for the sake of it."
"No. There is a difference in it. Believe me," Monobear assured them with a smirk. "Now, I'll see you later!" At that, once again, the plushy bear left, leaving them alone again.
"Just what is that bear's deal?" Jazz wondered about him.
"I do not know… but it disturbs me," Dead End muttered gravely. "However, we cannot focus on that yet. We need to focus on this case if we want to survive this ordeal."
"Why the sudden change of spark from you?" the Autobot wondered to him. "You just tried to kill us all the last trial and now you want to survive?"
"I have… very mixed feelings about all this, but at the last trial, Wildrider stopped at nothing to find out the truth about what happened to me. I didn't understand why, but now… now, I think I do. And I won't let anyone stop me from finding the truth." The Autobot hummed to the poet's response before nodding in approval.
"If it means you're on our side again, I'm all for it," Jazz gave his approval to the suggestion. "Just know that I'll keeping watch over you."
"I'll keep that in mind," Dead End hummed before hearing footsteps coming closer. Onslaught came back to the entrance along with Drift.
"I know the investigation to the murder is important, but I heard Monobear is allowing us entrance to Perceptor's room," Onslaught asked them.
"He has allowed us access to all rooms," Jazz confirmed to him.
"Well then… I know we should be investigating the deaths of Bumblebee and Wildrider, but I want to find more info in Perceptor's room, especially if he survives his injuries," the tactician told them.
"As do I," Drift agreed with him as he glared at the Decepticon next to him.
"Why do you two take such a big interest in him?" Jazz questioned him curiously. "You're usually not like this. Both of you."
"It's something I don't feel like talking about unless it's absolutely necessary. Now, if you excuse me," Onslaught informed them as he heads to Perceptor's room at a breakneck pace.
"I want to tell you… but I can't," Drift told him as he followed Onslaught to Perceptor's room.
"What is up with them?" Jazz wondered.
"I don't know…" Dead End murmured as he looked inside the room at Onslaught's only remaining gestaltmate examining the room, as well as Beachcomber. "Perhaps we can gleam more information from Swindle?"
"A good idea, but let's examine Wildrider first," Jazz advised him as he knelt down next to the dead Stunticon.
"Right, right," Dead End murmured as he knelt down next to the body of his fallen friend, looking him over. It didn't take long before he noticed something odd with him. "This blood energon on him… looks weird."
"Hmm… you know, you're right. He was only stab once in the left optic, yet he's got all this blood splatter on him… some of it even looks dried," Jazz remarked as he wondered about it
"This is correct. There is no way a single stab wounds anywhere would cause all this blood energon to get on him," Dead End agreed with him with a hum. 'Now why is all this blood on him?'
Ammo Gained: Bloodstains on Wildrider
Despite the single stab wound to the left optic, Wildrider is covered in both wet and dried blood splatter.
Dead End hummed before he went to explore Wildrider's subspsace pockets. Inside, he managed to retrieve only two items. "His electroID, of course," Dead End murmured before pulling the other item out, appearing to be an empty, orange medicine bottle. "A medicine bottle? I don't remember any medication he was on."
"Maybe it could've been for you?" Jazz suggested.
"No… I don't recognize it," the cynic assured him as he examined it closely. Whatever it was, he had no idea, as the labels were completely removed from it.
"Well then… a mystery we'll have to find out latter when we head to the mall," the Autobot suggested to him.
"Or the medicine cabinet," Dead End reminded him as he looked at the nearby medicine cabinet nearby. "There are multiple ways for him to attain this."
"That is true… well, anyway, best take note of it," Jazz advised him.
Ammo Gained: Unlabeled Medicine Bottle
Wildrider had an empty bottle of unlabeled medicine in his subspace.
"Well, time for me to take a look at the weapon," Dead End decided as he put the medicine bottle aside for now and looked at the knife embedded in his optic. The knife's handle seemed to have blood on it as well, so Dead End carefully grasped a section of it without blood before he carefully attempted to pull the knife out. However, the knife was really stuck in there. "Damn, the person who did this really put a lot of force into their strike."
"Here, let me try. Keep a hand on him," Jazz offered, which Dead End allowed as he let go if it to let Jazz use both hands while Dead End kept. After a few soft tugs, he gave a hard yank, successfully pulling the blood-drenched knife out of him. "There we go," the spy murmured as he looked the knife over, having a black hilt with a single serrated edge. "My, this knife has saw a lot of use."
"Uh, excuse me," Beachcomber butted in their examination. "I could help out with that."
"Since when do you examine the evidence closely?" the two of them both asked him.
"Being with Ons and Swindle has really help me with my confidence… and I could potentially sort out the bloodstains on it," Beachcomber offered to them.
"You can?" Jazz asked him.
"Yeah. I know I'm just a geologist, but I did minor in a few other fields and I think I can determine how many different energon is on it," Beachcomber explained to them.
"Is that possible?" Dead End questioned him curiously.
"Of course. Everyone has different CNA in them that differentiates them from everyone else. If I can collect samples at the lab, I should be able to determine how many people have been stabbed by this knife," Beachcomber informed them.
"Well then, I'll leave this to you," Jazz agreed with him as he handed the knife over to him. Beachcomber gently took it with a gulp.
"Hope this helps me out with my own problems…" Beachcomber remarked with a gulp. "Give me some time to get this done, okay?"
"Sure thing. I know this isn't easy," Jazz assured him.
"Thanks," the geologist said before he exited, heading out of there.
"Well, if Beachcomber's got that covered, let's at the rest," Dead End remarked as he moved to head on inside.
"Woah, before we do that, look at the ground," Jazz advised him and Dead End glared at the spy for telling him what to do. Indeed, there was lots of blood on the ground, but he did noticed something.
"Footsteps. Quite a lot of them," Dead End remarked as he looked at them.
"Yes and as we can see, there's one set of footsteps heading out of the room," Jazz stated to him, pointing out one set of footsteps heading towards the dorms that quickly fades away.
"And everyone has been careful enough to avoid touching the energon everywhere, that means…"
"Someone left this room alive."
Ammo Added: Footsteps By the Infirmary Entrance.
Several footsteps of blood made in the room. One set of footsteps exited out of the room. Heading towards the dorms.
"Well then, let's take a look inside," Jazz suggested to him as they entered the room, being careful not to step in the blood that was made in the room, first heading over to Bumblebee's body. The two went over to the dead mech on the medical slab, unmoving. "Can't believe you died like this, Bumblebee."
"He always had youthful vigor," Dead End remarked solemnly as they investigated his body. "Monobear file was certainly telling the truth. That is a lot of stab wounds."
"I count at least fifteen," Jazz remarked as he looked him over. "Most of them up front, although I see a few in his arms and a huge one in his left palm."
"Not to mention the one in his right wrist," Dead End pointed out to him the large gash in the right wrist.
"So Bumblebee was unable to fight back against his attacker after the wound to his wrist and his palm was made. Both of these were probably made when he was defending himself," Jazz stated.
"He had his arms up for protection and it worked for a little bit, before the attacker got to stabbing his chest as well and really cause damage. Hench, the damage to the fuel tank," Dead End remarked.
"Yeah… although the wound the hand is bothering me. It is so much larger then the other wounds," Jazz remarked as he showed him the wound in the hand. "Compare it to the other wounds on the body. They are much smaller then this."
"So a second weapon?" Dead End asked him in confusion.
"I don't know… I just know it bother me," the spy informed him. "We should remember both of these wounds."
Ammo Added: Hole in Bumblebee's Left Hand
Bumblebee has a large hole in his left hands potentially caused by another weapon.
Ammo Added: Bumblebee's Right Wrist
Bumblebee's right hand was slashed, rendering him unable to use it.
"That is not the only hole in him. He's got one at the back of his head," Dead End remarked as he looked at the back of it to see the large hole, "and took his brain."
"Why wasn't that mentioned on the Monobear file?" Jazz asked him. "He usually mentions anything that happens to the body, even post-mortem."
"That I don't know… it is strange," Dead End agreed with him. "I have no idea what the motive is behind that action."
"Hmm… it is very strange…"
Ammo Added: Bumblebee's Missing Brain
Bumblebee's brain is missing for some reason.
"Hmm… looks like the hole was made with something like a laser scalpel," Jazz remarked to him as he eyed the wound carefully.
"A laser scalpel? That's not part of the equipment in these infirmaries," Dead End remarked to him with a hum. "Where did they get that from…"
"A good question we'll have to find out," Jazz agreed with him. "Sure we can could find something like it in the Med Labs."
"A good idea," Dead End agreed with him.
Ammo Added: Tool to Cut into Bumblebee's Head
The tool to cut into Bumblebee's head was not found at the scene. Likely a laser scalpel, which are not tools used in the infirmaries.
"Hmm…judging by the minute splatter, the person had to be behind the medical slab when he cut into his head," Jazz surmised as he looked at it before looking down at the floor. "Yet, there are no footprints leading behind it."
"Got to wonder how that's possible…" Dead End wondered with a hum. "You would think that they would step in the footsteps on the way to slice open Bumblebee's head."
"They would have to take a lot of precautions to avoid it," Jazz agreed with hum with a hum. "Wonder if the person who did this is the same person who exited the room?"
"They would have to be, correct?" Dead End questioned him.
"I wonder about that…"
Ammo Added: No Footsteps Behind the Infirmary Medical Slab
No bloody footsteps were made behind the medical slab where Bumblebee's brain was removed.
"Yes, well, that's about all I can I see on Bumblebee's body, don't you think?" Jazz asked Dead End.
"For now, I think so," Dead End agreed with him with a sigh as the two of them instead went over to Swindle as he stood over where Perceptor was assaulted.
"Yo, Swindle. Found anything?" Jazz asked the merchant.
"Hey guys. And the answer is no, not really, since Knock Out and Skywarp has preceptor. I can' examine anything on him," Swindle told them.
"So… you found nothing?" Dead End said to him.
"Well, there is one thing of note," Swindle said to them as he pointed out as he knelt down where the scientist was assaulted and pointed out a mark on the wall.
"Hmm…? What's that?" Jazz wondered.
"If I were to guess, that's where the weapon struck the wall when it pierced his body," Swindle explained to them. "It roughly matches up with Perceptor's stab wound in the abdomen and looks like it was made with a blade."
"Ah, I get it. The knife went clean through," the spy realized. "Went through the front, out the back, and then they ripped it back out again."
"Bring Perceptor's entrails out. Lovely," Dead End remarked to them.
Ammo Added: Mark on the Wall
A mark made in the wall when Perceptor was stabbed.
"Right, we'll really need Perceptor to figure out what happened to him," Jazz decided.
"Indeed. Anyway… I'm more worried about Onslaught and Drift," Swindle told them with a sigh. "Investigating Perceptor is just going to bring up old wounds for the both of them."
"Just what exactly could the two of them have against him?" Dead End questioned him.
"What don't they have against him?" Swindle remarked to them rhetorically with a scoff.
"I still don't get it," the poet stated to him, annoyed.
"Well, let me put it in simple terms. You remember the prison break involving Perceptor, right?" the merchant asked them.
"Of course. He escaped from the Decepticon prison facility, Grindcore. It's legendary among the Autobots," Jazz told him.
"And infamy with the Decepticons," Dead End recalled.
"Yes, well, the main investigator for it? My leader," Swindle told them.
"He investigated Perceptor's breakout? Really?" Jazz asked him in surprise.
"Yes, and two of the main persons of interest into that investigation was our gestaltmate, Vortex, and Drift, then known as Deadlock," Swindle told them.
"Seriously? Both Vortex and Drift were a part of that? What a coincidence…" Jazz remarked suspiciously.
"That's for sure and those were Drift's final days as a Decepticon. Onslaught couldn't figure out how Perceptor was able to escape. Everybody's best guest was that Deadlock was at fault and he became the scapegoat for the failure and made an example of," Swindle said to them with a scowl. "Onslaught never actually proved that Deadlock was at fault, but blame needed to be place somewhere and it fell on him."
"Ah… so that's how he defected," Dead End murmured to that. "Being the scapegoat for a failure that wasn't his would certainly upset him to a certain point."
"Exactly. The thing is, Ons always suspected that something wasn't right about the whole thing. Things just weren't making sense," Swindle told them.
"Well, Perceptor is one of the smartest mechs in existence. It makes sense that he could craft a way to escape that wouldn't be easy to figure out," Jazz remarked.
"You say that… but I can tell that Ons was never satisfied with the outcome. He wants to finally solve it and it thinks the notes left by Perceptor could help him crack it," the conmech explained to them.
"So what do you wants us to do?" Dead End asked him curiously. Swindle gritted his denta at that, making it clear he didn't want to confess his feelings to him, but he spoke up again.
"I want you two to solve Perceptor's escape if you can," Swindle said to them.
"What? Why?" Dead End asked him.
"Look, it's hard to explain. Let me just say that I memorize all of Onslaught's note about it. He's just too proud to ask for help, so I'm doing it for him," Swindle informed them. "Let me explain to you what happened."
"Are you sure?" Jazz questioned him. "We got enough on our plate with Bumblebee and Wildrider's murder, I don't see how we have time to solve this too."
"Hey, I know, but you heard the bear. He's extending the deadline for this investigation, so I think I have enough time to explain this to you," Swindle explained to them. "Will then, will you agree with my suggestion?" Jazz and Dead End looked to each other at that, not liking the fact that they'll be having another burden to bear, but it could solve some mysteries that's been plaguing them in the school.
"Alright… fine. Tell us all about Onslaught's investigation," Dead End agreed.
"Yeah. Perceptor never gave an official explanation for how he escaped. I'm quite curious about it myself," Jazz agreed with him.
"Alright… better listen up for this," Swindle said to them as he started explaining Onslaught's investigation.
Onslaught sighed as he the escort ship he was on again shook as it was landing. He was called on for a special assignment that required his assistance, that being the escape of a high-value target, Perceptor. His capture was one of celebration for the Decepticons and now his escape was going to be a day od dread if they could not recapture him. He was in for a field day of he could not solve this.
'I don't know how he escaped. All I know is that Grindcore is isolated and he can't escape, so he's trapped. I'll be damned if I let him escape,' Onslaught promised in his mind.