Imposter [Part 26]
Feb. 21st, 2021 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Em needs Tao's help with something.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 791
Total word count: 20,891
Status: Work in progress
Tao tilted his head at a grumbling sound in the admin area. He'd come through to check where else he could place his cameras but then he'd heard that.
It didn't sound like someone dying and Tao poked his head in.
Em was there, curled up on the floor, wedged between the plant pot and the outcropping for the monitor on the wall, a pad balanced on his knees as he squinted at the screen.
What was he doing...?
There was no-one else in the room, and this was dangerous. Tao knew that. But...
It was a chance to talk shop about tech, and Tao never passed on an opportunity to do that.
Even, apparently, with an imposter.
It wasn't that weird, was it?
Em hadn't tried to kill him in the security room, and that had to mean something, right? Maybe Em was an imposter that didn't want to kill.
Except there had already been a handful of deaths and that had to mean at least one imposter was killing people. If it wasn't Em, then...it was Muzaka. Who had sent Em to him with the screwdriver set.
So...
Now it was just confusing.
Neither of them had tried to kill him. And-
"Hey," Em said, still staring at his pad. Not getting up or looking at all like he was going to sprout tentacles.
"Heeey," Tao said, still hanging around the bookcase, just in case. "What'cha doing there?"
"Pad's broken," Em said, pressing the screen a few times.
"Yeah?" He could do this. Just. Walk over. Nothing wrong with walking up to someone who could rip him in half when his back was turned.
"Yeah." Em flipped the pad around, showing him the screen.
It was dark, sure, but Tao could see the bright red text covering it as well.
And...right. The imposters Tao had seen before had trouble with colours, hadn't they?
"Can I see it?" Tao asked, edging forward. He was getting further and further away from either of the doors, and his heart rate leapt as Em leaned forward, holding the pad out for him.
"Weeell, it looks like you might have hit the dark mode option," Tao babbled, watching Em over the top of it. Still sitting, not trying to get up. One button here, one button there, and that was it. He winced at the bright background, but if Em could see it, then that would have to be it. "There ya go! How's that?"
Em took the pad from him and blinked at the screen, his eyebrows shooting up. Em looked up at him, staring at him.
Uhm... Okaaay. Just turn and leave, right? That's all he had to do now. Just expose his back to an imposter. Yep. Super easy.
In one movement he span around and strode towards the office. If he was fast enough, he might be able to reach one of the decontamination rooms before Em saw which one he went to.
"Thanks."
Tao faltered, almost tripping over his feet. The word was mumbled, almost sounding like it hadn't come from Em.
But it had to be, because there was no-one else there (which was the teeny bit of the problem right now) and even over Tao's thundering heartbeat, he was sure that was what he heard.
"No problemo!" Tao said with a high laugh, flashing him a thumbs up. "If you have any other tech problems, just let me know."
He definitely didn't dash out of there.
And okay. He'd just invited an imposter to go see him when he'd most likely be alone. Yeah, that was good.
But... Em hadn't attacked him. That was twice now. Maybe even a couple more instances Tao wasn't aware of.
That wasn't meant to happen. Tao had read the reports about failed imposters, the ones that had refused to kill. They were reprogrammed if they were lucky, and killed if they weren't. Either way, it ended in their death.
On this base though, that made it a lot harder for the Union to check on them.
That was okay, wasn't it?
If the imposters didn't kill, then the rest of them just had to finish doing up the base until the Union was satisfied. They didn't have to worry about watching their back or keeping an eye on each other.
But then, what would happen to the imposters after that? Wouldn't it just be the same?
Hm.
Tao exhaled as the decontamination doors opened and he stepped outside, not hearing any footsteps following him.
With the rate the base was falling apart, it was going to take a while to be fixed completely.
So it'd be okay if they just waited everything out, right...? Right.
Summary: Em needs Tao's help with something.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 791
Total word count: 20,891
Status: Work in progress
Tao tilted his head at a grumbling sound in the admin area. He'd come through to check where else he could place his cameras but then he'd heard that.
It didn't sound like someone dying and Tao poked his head in.
Em was there, curled up on the floor, wedged between the plant pot and the outcropping for the monitor on the wall, a pad balanced on his knees as he squinted at the screen.
What was he doing...?
There was no-one else in the room, and this was dangerous. Tao knew that. But...
It was a chance to talk shop about tech, and Tao never passed on an opportunity to do that.
Even, apparently, with an imposter.
It wasn't that weird, was it?
Em hadn't tried to kill him in the security room, and that had to mean something, right? Maybe Em was an imposter that didn't want to kill.
Except there had already been a handful of deaths and that had to mean at least one imposter was killing people. If it wasn't Em, then...it was Muzaka. Who had sent Em to him with the screwdriver set.
So...
Now it was just confusing.
Neither of them had tried to kill him. And-
"Hey," Em said, still staring at his pad. Not getting up or looking at all like he was going to sprout tentacles.
"Heeey," Tao said, still hanging around the bookcase, just in case. "What'cha doing there?"
"Pad's broken," Em said, pressing the screen a few times.
"Yeah?" He could do this. Just. Walk over. Nothing wrong with walking up to someone who could rip him in half when his back was turned.
"Yeah." Em flipped the pad around, showing him the screen.
It was dark, sure, but Tao could see the bright red text covering it as well.
And...right. The imposters Tao had seen before had trouble with colours, hadn't they?
"Can I see it?" Tao asked, edging forward. He was getting further and further away from either of the doors, and his heart rate leapt as Em leaned forward, holding the pad out for him.
"Weeell, it looks like you might have hit the dark mode option," Tao babbled, watching Em over the top of it. Still sitting, not trying to get up. One button here, one button there, and that was it. He winced at the bright background, but if Em could see it, then that would have to be it. "There ya go! How's that?"
Em took the pad from him and blinked at the screen, his eyebrows shooting up. Em looked up at him, staring at him.
Uhm... Okaaay. Just turn and leave, right? That's all he had to do now. Just expose his back to an imposter. Yep. Super easy.
In one movement he span around and strode towards the office. If he was fast enough, he might be able to reach one of the decontamination rooms before Em saw which one he went to.
"Thanks."
Tao faltered, almost tripping over his feet. The word was mumbled, almost sounding like it hadn't come from Em.
But it had to be, because there was no-one else there (which was the teeny bit of the problem right now) and even over Tao's thundering heartbeat, he was sure that was what he heard.
"No problemo!" Tao said with a high laugh, flashing him a thumbs up. "If you have any other tech problems, just let me know."
He definitely didn't dash out of there.
And okay. He'd just invited an imposter to go see him when he'd most likely be alone. Yeah, that was good.
But... Em hadn't attacked him. That was twice now. Maybe even a couple more instances Tao wasn't aware of.
That wasn't meant to happen. Tao had read the reports about failed imposters, the ones that had refused to kill. They were reprogrammed if they were lucky, and killed if they weren't. Either way, it ended in their death.
On this base though, that made it a lot harder for the Union to check on them.
That was okay, wasn't it?
If the imposters didn't kill, then the rest of them just had to finish doing up the base until the Union was satisfied. They didn't have to worry about watching their back or keeping an eye on each other.
But then, what would happen to the imposters after that? Wouldn't it just be the same?
Hm.
Tao exhaled as the decontamination doors opened and he stepped outside, not hearing any footsteps following him.
With the rate the base was falling apart, it was going to take a while to be fixed completely.
So it'd be okay if they just waited everything out, right...? Right.