Imposter [Part 35]
Mar. 23rd, 2021 08:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Tao makes his move.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 2,113
Total word count: 31,380
Status: Work in progress
Tao had been watching the four for a couple days, keeping an eye on the dropship. There was no set time that Tao could see any of them were going over. Em went over the most, and that seemed like it was because Em wasn't tied to a particular area like the rest of them were.
Which...was pretty much the best scenario Tao could hope for. Out of all of them, Em was the one Tao was surest didn't want to kill him, followed by Frankenstein. Kentas was someone Tao absolutely wouldn't want to be trapped in a room with if Kentas wanted to kill him, while Frankenstein had access to so many drugs, and Tao had had enough of that for one lifetime, thank you.
Em was the one Tao trusted the most out of them all.
Tao stared at the monitors blankly, repeating what he'd just thought.
Em was the one he trusted the most out of them all.
He burst into breathless giggles, even as his ribs ached. He trusted the imposter. Em was who he thought was the safest person to be around out of them all.
Wow, his life really had been turned on its head since he'd arrived on the base, huh?
Getting his breath back, Tao sent a message to Takeo, to be ready. There was no way he was going in alone. If something unexpected happened (which it could), they would have each other's back.
* * *
It was nearing dinner when Tao saw Em angle towards the dropship. Finally. Tao tossed Takeo a short message and hopped to his feet. And with the timing, if something happened to him or Takeo, then the others would notice if they didn't show up for dinner.
Could they be found in the dropship though?
Well. Tao hadn't been found in the crew's quarters, so maybe they would get 'lucky' again.
If it happened.
Argh, he was wasting time thinking over maybes.
Because he was still holding his breath, waiting for Takeo's reply. He could see Takeo on his screen, and yet there was that constant doubt. What if it wasn't him? What if his cameras had been hacked? Was he just-
[I'll meet you at Storage.]
Tao exhaled, already moving.
* * *
Takeo wasn't there when he got to Storage and that was fine! Security was closer, and it was better if they wasn't hanging outside the dropship too long to look suspicious.
Tao swept his gaze around, and really, why had the Union designed their 'suits to have such a limited view? It wasn't like they designed anything to be fashion statements, but then it was only crewmates who wore these 'suits. Agents and scientists and everyone else wore a 'suit with a different design.
Urgh. Were they made so it was easier for the imposters to kill them?
Tao wouldn't put it past them.
He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Takeo's blue 'suit coming up.
[Yo!]
Now that he could stop worrying about Takeo, he could start worrying about what they were going to do. Sure, he had a plan, but all his plan was 'get in and snoop around'.
What then? What would they do after?
First, they'd have to find out what it was they were doing in there before figuring that out.
[See anything yet?]
Tao shook his head, his heart thudding harder as he turned toward the dropship. He'd passed it so many times, seen its shadow on his monitors and yet...
Now it seemed so imposing on the edge of the base, overcasting everything.
[No.] He could go back to Security. Not find out was going on in there. Not stick his nose where it didn't belong, and end up getting it chopped off when he was caught.
Except that was exactly what he'd been doing when he and Takeo had been attacked by Yuri.
Doing nothing and not trying to dig into things further was partially what had blindsided Tao so hard before.
So. He would do this. Even if it ended up being bad for him. Hopefully he would know more, stay alive, and then have more information about what he could do.
He still hesitated from moving. Sure, he had made his decision, but it was still hard to follow through.
[Tao?]
Tao squared his shoulders, nodding. Yeah, Takeo was here. He wasn't alone. [Really glad you're here,] he said as he started moving. Okay, his voice only wavered just a little bit.
[I wouldn't want you to try and look by yourself.]
[Heh, I wouldn't either!] If Takeo hadn't been found... Anyway. He couldn't think about that right now. Focus. He had to focus on what they were doing right now, even while his brain was jumping to every possibility, his heart keeping to the same tempo. [Right, let's go before someone spots us.]
And before Tao talked himself out of what they were doing.
Without another word, they headed for the dropship.
* * *
Tao glanced around when they reached the dropship door as Takeo opened the door.
Wait, would they even be able to open it? This wasn't their dropship so maybe-
The door opened.
-it was the Union and their locks weren't as specialised as they declared them to be.
They entered, and Tao blinked at the readings on the wall.
Like the fact he could read them.
The door closed behind them, Tao hearing decompression happening. He glanced at Takeo, seeing Takeo's helmet tilted in his direction too.
The dropship was meant to be dead. It had enough juice to get them to the base and that was it. The only reason why Tao's dropship was able to leave was because it was one that collected winners from test sites - this one was literally just a dropship: where it dropped, it stayed.
Or it was meant to, because otherwise...
Tao stopped his line of thought, closing his eyes and trying to even out his breathing. No assumptions. He'd only seen one thing so far. That didn't tell him anything about what was going on here.
The door in front of them opened, the lights on, and hnn. There was oxygen here.
Tao eased his helmet off, tucking it under his arm. He wanted to be able to hear and as good as the 'suit's sensors were, it was still muffled in comparison to his own ears. Takeo did the same, and Tao listened, but he couldn't hear any footsteps in the distance. Had Em already left in the time it had taken them to get there?
Not good. If someone else came in... It wasn't likely, but the chances weren't zero either.
"I can't smell blood," Takeo murmured, and Tao nodded as they headed deeper into the ship. It was a good sign, even though Tao hadn't been expecting to.
By this point, they'd be smelling rotting flesh rather than blood with how long ago someone had died.
Dammit, he should have checked biometrics, because then he could be sure no-one had died recently.
There hadn't been time to, and he could think about that for next time. Maybe he could hook the biometrics data to his pad. And the security feed too. That way he wouldn't be stuck in a room if something happened.
The ship was smaller than the one Tao and Takeo had come in, the rooms closer together, the corridors closing in them a little more.
Each room was empty. Some were completely devoid of anything, while others had boxes of miscellaneous items, as if someone had been interrupted from moving in.
They still hadn't heard anyone else moving around, and that was better than just walking in on someone. Tao opened the next door and back-pedalled immediately into Takeo, who grunted.
Maybe if they ran right now, they might not have been-
"Tao, Takeo?"
Craaap. Spotted! "Hi, Frankenstein!" Tao squeaked. When had Frankenstein came in? While he was waiting for Takeo? While he was going to Storage?
He really had to get his pad hooked up to the security cameras! He hated not being able to see the base at all times.
Frankenstein seemed to be in the medbay of the ship, everything clean and tidied away. He let out a soft sigh, not looking like he was wanting to drag them in and trap them. Yet. Maybe. "I should have realised you would notice our movements and would want to investigate."
And, okay. If Tao had to put the four in order of who was least likely to hurt him and - no, that list didn't work, because Em would have been at the bottom of the list since he'd stalked him and Takeo for a bit. In order of least intimidating to be locked in a room with. Yeah. That fit better. Then at the top of the list would be Em, and then Frankenstein.
"Sooo," Tao drew out, not wanting to go fully into the medbay and have those precious seconds where he and Takeo would have to wait for the door to open again, "are you going to tell us what you're doin'?" Could it be that easy?
Frankenstein peered at them over his glasses. Assessing them.
Uh, maybe he should have worried about Frankenstein, because right now, Frankenstein didn't seem troubled about getting caught doing something off the books. Was that because he knew they wouldn't be able to contact the Union anyway? That there was someone else on the ship that would take care of them? Takeo was keeping a lookout, but he was still recovering from Yuri's attack, and Tao was all but useless with his broken arm and-
"We're looking for a way to escape," Frankenstein said, still watching the two of them closely.
"Eh?"
"You're repairing the dropship?" Takeo asked, and Frankenstein nodded.
It wasn't that the Union had given the four extra tasks, or had accidentally left enough energy for the dropship to be kept running.
The reason why no tasks were assigned to the inside of the dropship was because the Union didn't want crewmates poking too much inside. In case they found a way to make it work and escape.
"We've become rather tired of the Union's lies and we no longer want to be part of their continuous testing," Frankenstein said, leaning a hand on the counter nearest to him.
"That's it?" fell out of Tao's mouth.
At that, a small smile curled Frankenstein's lips. "You were expecting something else?"
"Well-!" Tao deflated, rubbing the back of his neck as his gaze slid away. "I was kinda expectin' a murder pit..." It had made sense at the time!
Frankenstein chuckled at that. "No, there isn't one here - the smell would become unbearable if we wanted to stay here."
"Heh, yeah..." It wasn't something Tao had thought about. He didn't think they would want to stay in the dropship though, only using it as a temporary area to be in, like the rest of the base.
Frankenstein's amused smile was still there. "I'm not going to kill you to keep you silent."
"Who would we tell anyway?" They weren't in contact with the Union. The rest of the crewmates might not care, since it had nothing to do with their mission, and no-one was getting murdered. Just let them waste their time.
It seemed like that was permission to leave, and it only took a small nudge before he and Takeo were hurrying out of the dropship, peering at every corner, making sure they wouldn't get jumped on the way out.
* * *
Tao collapsed into his chair in Security, every muscle so taut it hurt to relax them. They were safe here. Sorta. Trapped, but they would know if anyone was coming.
Which there wasn't.
"That went better than expected," Takeo said, leaning next to Tao's chair.
Tao laughed. "Yeah!" Not dead. Not captured and tortured. Not stalked out and threatened. They were still in one piece and unbloodied.
The biggest stress had been Tao's own imagination.
"Okay, whew," Tao said, starting to relax. He rested his head on Takeo's arm for a minute. "That's some information we got, huh?" He closed his eyes, feeling his heart slowing, now that he was sure nothing was going to happen.
"Mmm."
They stayed like that for a few minutes, Tao trying to calm his brain as it tried to process everything that just happened.
"We should go for dinner," Takeo murmured, patting Tao's shoulder.
Oh yeah. That. Food. They should have that. Especially when it felt like Tao had just ran four laps around the entire base.
He could try thinking more once they'd eaten.
Summary: Tao makes his move.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 2,113
Total word count: 31,380
Status: Work in progress
Tao had been watching the four for a couple days, keeping an eye on the dropship. There was no set time that Tao could see any of them were going over. Em went over the most, and that seemed like it was because Em wasn't tied to a particular area like the rest of them were.
Which...was pretty much the best scenario Tao could hope for. Out of all of them, Em was the one Tao was surest didn't want to kill him, followed by Frankenstein. Kentas was someone Tao absolutely wouldn't want to be trapped in a room with if Kentas wanted to kill him, while Frankenstein had access to so many drugs, and Tao had had enough of that for one lifetime, thank you.
Em was the one Tao trusted the most out of them all.
Tao stared at the monitors blankly, repeating what he'd just thought.
Em was the one he trusted the most out of them all.
He burst into breathless giggles, even as his ribs ached. He trusted the imposter. Em was who he thought was the safest person to be around out of them all.
Wow, his life really had been turned on its head since he'd arrived on the base, huh?
Getting his breath back, Tao sent a message to Takeo, to be ready. There was no way he was going in alone. If something unexpected happened (which it could), they would have each other's back.
It was nearing dinner when Tao saw Em angle towards the dropship. Finally. Tao tossed Takeo a short message and hopped to his feet. And with the timing, if something happened to him or Takeo, then the others would notice if they didn't show up for dinner.
Could they be found in the dropship though?
Well. Tao hadn't been found in the crew's quarters, so maybe they would get 'lucky' again.
If it happened.
Argh, he was wasting time thinking over maybes.
Because he was still holding his breath, waiting for Takeo's reply. He could see Takeo on his screen, and yet there was that constant doubt. What if it wasn't him? What if his cameras had been hacked? Was he just-
[I'll meet you at Storage.]
Tao exhaled, already moving.
Takeo wasn't there when he got to Storage and that was fine! Security was closer, and it was better if they wasn't hanging outside the dropship too long to look suspicious.
Tao swept his gaze around, and really, why had the Union designed their 'suits to have such a limited view? It wasn't like they designed anything to be fashion statements, but then it was only crewmates who wore these 'suits. Agents and scientists and everyone else wore a 'suit with a different design.
Urgh. Were they made so it was easier for the imposters to kill them?
Tao wouldn't put it past them.
He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Takeo's blue 'suit coming up.
[Yo!]
Now that he could stop worrying about Takeo, he could start worrying about what they were going to do. Sure, he had a plan, but all his plan was 'get in and snoop around'.
What then? What would they do after?
First, they'd have to find out what it was they were doing in there before figuring that out.
[See anything yet?]
Tao shook his head, his heart thudding harder as he turned toward the dropship. He'd passed it so many times, seen its shadow on his monitors and yet...
Now it seemed so imposing on the edge of the base, overcasting everything.
[No.] He could go back to Security. Not find out was going on in there. Not stick his nose where it didn't belong, and end up getting it chopped off when he was caught.
Except that was exactly what he'd been doing when he and Takeo had been attacked by Yuri.
Doing nothing and not trying to dig into things further was partially what had blindsided Tao so hard before.
So. He would do this. Even if it ended up being bad for him. Hopefully he would know more, stay alive, and then have more information about what he could do.
He still hesitated from moving. Sure, he had made his decision, but it was still hard to follow through.
[Tao?]
Tao squared his shoulders, nodding. Yeah, Takeo was here. He wasn't alone. [Really glad you're here,] he said as he started moving. Okay, his voice only wavered just a little bit.
[I wouldn't want you to try and look by yourself.]
[Heh, I wouldn't either!] If Takeo hadn't been found... Anyway. He couldn't think about that right now. Focus. He had to focus on what they were doing right now, even while his brain was jumping to every possibility, his heart keeping to the same tempo. [Right, let's go before someone spots us.]
And before Tao talked himself out of what they were doing.
Without another word, they headed for the dropship.
Tao glanced around when they reached the dropship door as Takeo opened the door.
Wait, would they even be able to open it? This wasn't their dropship so maybe-
The door opened.
-it was the Union and their locks weren't as specialised as they declared them to be.
They entered, and Tao blinked at the readings on the wall.
Like the fact he could read them.
The door closed behind them, Tao hearing decompression happening. He glanced at Takeo, seeing Takeo's helmet tilted in his direction too.
The dropship was meant to be dead. It had enough juice to get them to the base and that was it. The only reason why Tao's dropship was able to leave was because it was one that collected winners from test sites - this one was literally just a dropship: where it dropped, it stayed.
Or it was meant to, because otherwise...
Tao stopped his line of thought, closing his eyes and trying to even out his breathing. No assumptions. He'd only seen one thing so far. That didn't tell him anything about what was going on here.
The door in front of them opened, the lights on, and hnn. There was oxygen here.
Tao eased his helmet off, tucking it under his arm. He wanted to be able to hear and as good as the 'suit's sensors were, it was still muffled in comparison to his own ears. Takeo did the same, and Tao listened, but he couldn't hear any footsteps in the distance. Had Em already left in the time it had taken them to get there?
Not good. If someone else came in... It wasn't likely, but the chances weren't zero either.
"I can't smell blood," Takeo murmured, and Tao nodded as they headed deeper into the ship. It was a good sign, even though Tao hadn't been expecting to.
By this point, they'd be smelling rotting flesh rather than blood with how long ago someone had died.
Dammit, he should have checked biometrics, because then he could be sure no-one had died recently.
There hadn't been time to, and he could think about that for next time. Maybe he could hook the biometrics data to his pad. And the security feed too. That way he wouldn't be stuck in a room if something happened.
The ship was smaller than the one Tao and Takeo had come in, the rooms closer together, the corridors closing in them a little more.
Each room was empty. Some were completely devoid of anything, while others had boxes of miscellaneous items, as if someone had been interrupted from moving in.
They still hadn't heard anyone else moving around, and that was better than just walking in on someone. Tao opened the next door and back-pedalled immediately into Takeo, who grunted.
Maybe if they ran right now, they might not have been-
"Tao, Takeo?"
Craaap. Spotted! "Hi, Frankenstein!" Tao squeaked. When had Frankenstein came in? While he was waiting for Takeo? While he was going to Storage?
He really had to get his pad hooked up to the security cameras! He hated not being able to see the base at all times.
Frankenstein seemed to be in the medbay of the ship, everything clean and tidied away. He let out a soft sigh, not looking like he was wanting to drag them in and trap them. Yet. Maybe. "I should have realised you would notice our movements and would want to investigate."
And, okay. If Tao had to put the four in order of who was least likely to hurt him and - no, that list didn't work, because Em would have been at the bottom of the list since he'd stalked him and Takeo for a bit. In order of least intimidating to be locked in a room with. Yeah. That fit better. Then at the top of the list would be Em, and then Frankenstein.
"Sooo," Tao drew out, not wanting to go fully into the medbay and have those precious seconds where he and Takeo would have to wait for the door to open again, "are you going to tell us what you're doin'?" Could it be that easy?
Frankenstein peered at them over his glasses. Assessing them.
Uh, maybe he should have worried about Frankenstein, because right now, Frankenstein didn't seem troubled about getting caught doing something off the books. Was that because he knew they wouldn't be able to contact the Union anyway? That there was someone else on the ship that would take care of them? Takeo was keeping a lookout, but he was still recovering from Yuri's attack, and Tao was all but useless with his broken arm and-
"We're looking for a way to escape," Frankenstein said, still watching the two of them closely.
"Eh?"
"You're repairing the dropship?" Takeo asked, and Frankenstein nodded.
It wasn't that the Union had given the four extra tasks, or had accidentally left enough energy for the dropship to be kept running.
The reason why no tasks were assigned to the inside of the dropship was because the Union didn't want crewmates poking too much inside. In case they found a way to make it work and escape.
"We've become rather tired of the Union's lies and we no longer want to be part of their continuous testing," Frankenstein said, leaning a hand on the counter nearest to him.
"That's it?" fell out of Tao's mouth.
At that, a small smile curled Frankenstein's lips. "You were expecting something else?"
"Well-!" Tao deflated, rubbing the back of his neck as his gaze slid away. "I was kinda expectin' a murder pit..." It had made sense at the time!
Frankenstein chuckled at that. "No, there isn't one here - the smell would become unbearable if we wanted to stay here."
"Heh, yeah..." It wasn't something Tao had thought about. He didn't think they would want to stay in the dropship though, only using it as a temporary area to be in, like the rest of the base.
Frankenstein's amused smile was still there. "I'm not going to kill you to keep you silent."
"Who would we tell anyway?" They weren't in contact with the Union. The rest of the crewmates might not care, since it had nothing to do with their mission, and no-one was getting murdered. Just let them waste their time.
It seemed like that was permission to leave, and it only took a small nudge before he and Takeo were hurrying out of the dropship, peering at every corner, making sure they wouldn't get jumped on the way out.
Tao collapsed into his chair in Security, every muscle so taut it hurt to relax them. They were safe here. Sorta. Trapped, but they would know if anyone was coming.
Which there wasn't.
"That went better than expected," Takeo said, leaning next to Tao's chair.
Tao laughed. "Yeah!" Not dead. Not captured and tortured. Not stalked out and threatened. They were still in one piece and unbloodied.
The biggest stress had been Tao's own imagination.
"Okay, whew," Tao said, starting to relax. He rested his head on Takeo's arm for a minute. "That's some information we got, huh?" He closed his eyes, feeling his heart slowing, now that he was sure nothing was going to happen.
"Mmm."
They stayed like that for a few minutes, Tao trying to calm his brain as it tried to process everything that just happened.
"We should go for dinner," Takeo murmured, patting Tao's shoulder.
Oh yeah. That. Food. They should have that. Especially when it felt like Tao had just ran four laps around the entire base.
He could try thinking more once they'd eaten.