Imposter [Part 16]
Jan. 17th, 2021 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: M-21's help is requested; he doesn't like it.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,481
Total word count: 14,670
Status: Work in progress
M-21 scowled, feeling Frankenstein approach as he did the wiring in the office. Again. Because the piece of shit kept disconnecting from each other. Again.
Couldn't they just fucking tape it together? Wouldn't that make it work longer, or would they just burn through the tape to spite him? Pieces of shit.
Muzaka's annotations had faded a while ago but M-21 had memorised where each cable went. Because it kept fucking breaking.
"I was hoping to speak with you."
M-21 paused, and then glanced over his shoulder. It was...Red? standing behind him, not Frankenstein.
But he felt like Frankenstein.
Then...another imposter? M-21 had felt the same itch at the back of his neck strengthen when the new group arrived, but hadn't cared to investigate. Frankenstein probably had, because he was like that.
"What do you want?" M-21 said, connecting the last of the wires, the light turning on. Finally.
"I think it would be obvious?"
M-21's scowl deepened. Great. Another Frankenstein, trying to talk around an issue rather than just saying exactly what he was thinking. "No, it's not. What do you want?"
Red blinked and then glanced around, making sure they were alone before stepping closer. Shit, his back was to the wall and he wasn't supposed to bare his teeth.
At crewmates. Red wasn't a crewmate. Maybe he could-? There were three exits here, and all of them was a decompression room - he would be able to shift back way before the person was able to come through.
"If we move together, we'll be able to corner a crewmate far easier than if we were alone," Red murmured.
M-21 stared at him. Oh. Red wanted to help him to kill. That was...
M-21 didn't like it.
He nodded anyway, because that was his mission. He was supposed to kill as many crewmates until he was told to stop. And Frankenstein wasn't going to be helping with that anymore.
But.
M-21 watched Red smile at him, and then turn to one of the vents in the corridor.
M-21 didn't like it.
Didn't like Red, with his tiny little beard, the way he spoke, or that scar over his eye.
Red shifted into the vent, and M-21 went after him, claws ready and eager to rend.
This was his hunting ground.
He would do all the hunting. That was his mission.
* * *
Frankenstein paused from the data they were studying. They had felt imposters at the edge of their awareness, stronger now that two more had joined their number but now...
The strength of what Frankenstein sensed had dropped.
They hadn't been able to track down the other imposters yet, not when everyone was grouped together as they were.
But if one of imposters had just died...
It couldn't be one of the crewmates who had done it. ...Could it?
And who was it? The ability to sense other imposters was only to make sure that they wouldn't kill each other when they were on an enemy ship, not to identify who exactly it was they were sensing.
...Was it Em who'd been killed?
Should they leave to check? But to deviate from their usual schedule would be suspicious. Not that the new crewmates would know, but to stumble across the body...
They would just have to wait until the body was found.
Frankenstein found they couldn't concentrate on their samples anymore, their mind drifting back, wondering who had killed the other.
Not knowing who had done it.
Would they have to be wary with other imposters, in case they turned on them as well?
...Hm.
Was this what it felt like to be a crewmate...?
* * *
M-21 narrowed his eyes at the vent when he climbed out again, shifting back into his humanoid body. Killing another imposter was a little different than killing crewmates: there was more twisting around, trying to find purchase in the other's flesh.
Still doable.
He would need to clean himself off before anyone saw him though.
M-21 dashed away.
* * *
Kentas removed his helmet once he was out of the decompression room, shaking head, feeling his hair spring back into place. He'd seen Muzaka's hair, who must have the opposite problem as him: Muzaka had to put his hair down the back of his spacesuit to fit it all in.
He inhaled the - Kentas froze, recognising the scent of blood. Dammit, already? Where?
He dashed through, searching the rooms, sliding through the gap before the doors had fully slid open.
Nothing.
Nothing in the meeting room. Or the office.
The smell faded by the time he reached admin, so it was somewhere in the office area.
He hadn't seen anything though. Nothing obvious. No blood splatters. No body.
Just the smell.
Okay. Where was it the strongest?
Kentas followed his nose and found himself facing a corner next to the meeting room. All right...
Something invisible? Hidden? He swung his foot around, but all it hit was the wall.
That didn't make any sense. He was sure he could smell-
Kentas saw a few dark red smudges along the edge of the vent.
Oh.
He'd found it.
* * *
Frankenstein found themself sorting their medbay than trying to continue studying their samples. Even when Red had been found, their mind still wouldn't settle. No-one had been spaced, because no-one had seen anyone kill Red, nor shoving his body into a vent.
No-one had suspected Red of being an imposter either.
So when an imposter died, they stayed in their human form, huh...? Or changed back? Because Frankenstein doubted Red hadn't fought back when he'd died.
More hints that their true form really was human, and not the one they used to kill crewmates with.
They sighed, shaking their head. Maybe they should go for a walk. Even cleaning up wasn't distracting them. Though walking could mean they dwelled even more on their thoughts...
They put a smile on their face when they heard the medbay doors open, though they paused when they saw Em's scowling face.
"Are you feeling all right?" Frankenstein asked, looking him over. His suit was in tact with no blood that they could see, and when Em walked closer, Frankenstein didn't notice any stiffness to his movement either.
"I'm fine," Em said, rolling his eyes as he leaned back against one of the beds, crossing his arms.
"Ah, that's good to hear," Frankenstein said, still puzzling over Em's presence there. They'd thought Em wouldn't want anything to do with them again, since they'd made it clear they'd defected from their mission. "Are...you worried about the other imposter?" Was that why Em had come to talk to them?
Em snorted. "Why should I be? I killed Red."
Frankenstein paused. Had they heard-? Yes, Em had been very clear. "Why?" ...Considering their first meeting, maybe they shouldn't be so surprised. But Em had to know what other imposters felt like now, and it would have been obvious when Red also transformed to protect himself.
Em growled, his crossed arms tightening. "He wanted us to go kill together."
Frankenstein kept control of their expression so surprise wouldn't show through, even though Em was glaring at the wall to his right. "And you didn't want to?" they said, their voice as mild as they could make it.
"I'll finish my mission myself," Em said past gritted teeth.
...Hm. It seemed like Em's priorities and objective was shifting, even if he wasn't aware of it. Good. They could try to encourage that.
"Of course," Frankenstein said. "But next time, could you not leave the body in the vent?" It was good to hide the body to make it harder to find to build an alibi, but the stench of death also lingered for a while. And cleaning the blood and gore from there was tricky.
Em glared at them, but Frankenstein was used to it, and Em didn't say no as he left the medbay. That was as far as agreement Em usually gave.
* * *
Frankenstein heard the hiss of the vent but when there was no accompanying footsteps, they looked up from the notes they were taking.
Hm. Em's presence was fading. Had he forgotten something and turned back?
They went to the vent just in case and - ah.
Green's mangled body was leaving a pool of blood next to the vent.
They sighed, staring at the body. They'd been so distracted with work, they hadn't noticed Green's presence snuff out.
Well. That meant there were no other imposters on the base again, aside from them and Em. That made things simpler.
Now, should they move the body somewhere or deal with it? They couldn't leave it where it was, because they would be the first suspect.
Though the handy thing about where the medbay was located was how close it was to the lava pit...
Summary: M-21's help is requested; he doesn't like it.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,481
Total word count: 14,670
Status: Work in progress
M-21 scowled, feeling Frankenstein approach as he did the wiring in the office. Again. Because the piece of shit kept disconnecting from each other. Again.
Couldn't they just fucking tape it together? Wouldn't that make it work longer, or would they just burn through the tape to spite him? Pieces of shit.
Muzaka's annotations had faded a while ago but M-21 had memorised where each cable went. Because it kept fucking breaking.
"I was hoping to speak with you."
M-21 paused, and then glanced over his shoulder. It was...Red? standing behind him, not Frankenstein.
But he felt like Frankenstein.
Then...another imposter? M-21 had felt the same itch at the back of his neck strengthen when the new group arrived, but hadn't cared to investigate. Frankenstein probably had, because he was like that.
"What do you want?" M-21 said, connecting the last of the wires, the light turning on. Finally.
"I think it would be obvious?"
M-21's scowl deepened. Great. Another Frankenstein, trying to talk around an issue rather than just saying exactly what he was thinking. "No, it's not. What do you want?"
Red blinked and then glanced around, making sure they were alone before stepping closer. Shit, his back was to the wall and he wasn't supposed to bare his teeth.
At crewmates. Red wasn't a crewmate. Maybe he could-? There were three exits here, and all of them was a decompression room - he would be able to shift back way before the person was able to come through.
"If we move together, we'll be able to corner a crewmate far easier than if we were alone," Red murmured.
M-21 stared at him. Oh. Red wanted to help him to kill. That was...
M-21 didn't like it.
He nodded anyway, because that was his mission. He was supposed to kill as many crewmates until he was told to stop. And Frankenstein wasn't going to be helping with that anymore.
But.
M-21 watched Red smile at him, and then turn to one of the vents in the corridor.
M-21 didn't like it.
Didn't like Red, with his tiny little beard, the way he spoke, or that scar over his eye.
Red shifted into the vent, and M-21 went after him, claws ready and eager to rend.
This was his hunting ground.
He would do all the hunting. That was his mission.
Frankenstein paused from the data they were studying. They had felt imposters at the edge of their awareness, stronger now that two more had joined their number but now...
The strength of what Frankenstein sensed had dropped.
They hadn't been able to track down the other imposters yet, not when everyone was grouped together as they were.
But if one of imposters had just died...
It couldn't be one of the crewmates who had done it. ...Could it?
And who was it? The ability to sense other imposters was only to make sure that they wouldn't kill each other when they were on an enemy ship, not to identify who exactly it was they were sensing.
...Was it Em who'd been killed?
Should they leave to check? But to deviate from their usual schedule would be suspicious. Not that the new crewmates would know, but to stumble across the body...
They would just have to wait until the body was found.
Frankenstein found they couldn't concentrate on their samples anymore, their mind drifting back, wondering who had killed the other.
Not knowing who had done it.
Would they have to be wary with other imposters, in case they turned on them as well?
...Hm.
Was this what it felt like to be a crewmate...?
M-21 narrowed his eyes at the vent when he climbed out again, shifting back into his humanoid body. Killing another imposter was a little different than killing crewmates: there was more twisting around, trying to find purchase in the other's flesh.
Still doable.
He would need to clean himself off before anyone saw him though.
M-21 dashed away.
Kentas removed his helmet once he was out of the decompression room, shaking head, feeling his hair spring back into place. He'd seen Muzaka's hair, who must have the opposite problem as him: Muzaka had to put his hair down the back of his spacesuit to fit it all in.
He inhaled the - Kentas froze, recognising the scent of blood. Dammit, already? Where?
He dashed through, searching the rooms, sliding through the gap before the doors had fully slid open.
Nothing.
Nothing in the meeting room. Or the office.
The smell faded by the time he reached admin, so it was somewhere in the office area.
He hadn't seen anything though. Nothing obvious. No blood splatters. No body.
Just the smell.
Okay. Where was it the strongest?
Kentas followed his nose and found himself facing a corner next to the meeting room. All right...
Something invisible? Hidden? He swung his foot around, but all it hit was the wall.
That didn't make any sense. He was sure he could smell-
Kentas saw a few dark red smudges along the edge of the vent.
Oh.
He'd found it.
Frankenstein found themself sorting their medbay than trying to continue studying their samples. Even when Red had been found, their mind still wouldn't settle. No-one had been spaced, because no-one had seen anyone kill Red, nor shoving his body into a vent.
No-one had suspected Red of being an imposter either.
So when an imposter died, they stayed in their human form, huh...? Or changed back? Because Frankenstein doubted Red hadn't fought back when he'd died.
More hints that their true form really was human, and not the one they used to kill crewmates with.
They sighed, shaking their head. Maybe they should go for a walk. Even cleaning up wasn't distracting them. Though walking could mean they dwelled even more on their thoughts...
They put a smile on their face when they heard the medbay doors open, though they paused when they saw Em's scowling face.
"Are you feeling all right?" Frankenstein asked, looking him over. His suit was in tact with no blood that they could see, and when Em walked closer, Frankenstein didn't notice any stiffness to his movement either.
"I'm fine," Em said, rolling his eyes as he leaned back against one of the beds, crossing his arms.
"Ah, that's good to hear," Frankenstein said, still puzzling over Em's presence there. They'd thought Em wouldn't want anything to do with them again, since they'd made it clear they'd defected from their mission. "Are...you worried about the other imposter?" Was that why Em had come to talk to them?
Em snorted. "Why should I be? I killed Red."
Frankenstein paused. Had they heard-? Yes, Em had been very clear. "Why?" ...Considering their first meeting, maybe they shouldn't be so surprised. But Em had to know what other imposters felt like now, and it would have been obvious when Red also transformed to protect himself.
Em growled, his crossed arms tightening. "He wanted us to go kill together."
Frankenstein kept control of their expression so surprise wouldn't show through, even though Em was glaring at the wall to his right. "And you didn't want to?" they said, their voice as mild as they could make it.
"I'll finish my mission myself," Em said past gritted teeth.
...Hm. It seemed like Em's priorities and objective was shifting, even if he wasn't aware of it. Good. They could try to encourage that.
"Of course," Frankenstein said. "But next time, could you not leave the body in the vent?" It was good to hide the body to make it harder to find to build an alibi, but the stench of death also lingered for a while. And cleaning the blood and gore from there was tricky.
Em glared at them, but Frankenstein was used to it, and Em didn't say no as he left the medbay. That was as far as agreement Em usually gave.
Frankenstein heard the hiss of the vent but when there was no accompanying footsteps, they looked up from the notes they were taking.
Hm. Em's presence was fading. Had he forgotten something and turned back?
They went to the vent just in case and - ah.
Green's mangled body was leaving a pool of blood next to the vent.
They sighed, staring at the body. They'd been so distracted with work, they hadn't noticed Green's presence snuff out.
Well. That meant there were no other imposters on the base again, aside from them and Em. That made things simpler.
Now, should they move the body somewhere or deal with it? They couldn't leave it where it was, because they would be the first suspect.
Though the handy thing about where the medbay was located was how close it was to the lava pit...