Imposter [Part 38]
Apr. 4th, 2021 08:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: M-21 hides.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,248
Total word count: 35,407
Status: Work in progress
Shit. Shit shit shitshitshit! He'd been seen. He'd been seen! M-21 dashed through vents, triple-checking he was completely alone before exiting. As soon as he was out, he dashed to the next closest vent.
Couldn't be seen. Not again.
He was already a failure. He was going to be killed for his mistake.
He had to hide somewhere. The vents? No. He couldn't stay in there forever. His room? The easiest place to find him.
He just had to keep on the move. That was the best option. But what was the point? He'd been seen. Tao knew.
M-21 froze, seeing a call come in through the comms. From Tao.
No. He wasn't answering that.
The call rang out and he breathed a sigh of relief when Tao didn't call again.
He stiffened when a message came through. [
Lies. If Tao had known since then, he would have called a meeting and spaced him. It was a trap. Tao was trying to find him. He wasn't going to fall for it.
He wasn't going to answer.
[
He was a failure and he should die. M-21 knew that. He still didn't want to and wouldn't just walk right to his death.
So he was going to hide as best as he could, until he was found.
*
Hrrrm. Em wasn't answering comms which... Yeah, okay. If the whole point of Em's side of the test was to murder people and not be seen, it wasn't surprising he'd gotten spooked.
No answering comms, and Em could move way faster and essentially sideways through the vents. Then...
Em would listen to Frankenstein, right? Be waaay more likely than listening to Tao anyway. And maybe Em had gone to Frankenstein too.
Tao swerved and headed back to Medbay.
*
"It's not often I see someone twice in a day," Frankenstein said, his tone light, when Tao entered Medbay. He was putting away some small vials into a cupboard.
"No hideous, fatal injuries here," Tao said, one side of his mouth twitching up. Not this time anyway. Hopefully not ever, too. "Have you seen Em?" he asked as he peered around. Medbay looked the same as ever with no sign of anyone else there.
Frankenstein shook his head. "Do you need him for something?"
"Need? Nooo," Tao drew out. "I'd like ta talk to him though. I saw him leave a vent and-" Tao wiggled his fingers, Frankenstein nodding. "He ran off and I can't find him or get in contact."
Frankenstein closed his eyes and sighed. "I see."
"He's not gonna talk with me willingly, is he...?" Not by the look of Frankenstein's reaction.
Frankenstein shook his head. "No, I very much doubt it. The last time he was spotted in a compromising position, he panicked."
Yeah, that meshed with how Em had just reacted. "Well, okay." There wasn't much he could do about it. "If ya spot him or he reads your messages, can you let him know I'm not gonna call a meetin' or anything?" Though by now it should be obvious, but panicky thoughts weren't logical.
Frankenstein nodded. "I'll make sure I do."
"All right, thanks!" Tao left with a wave. Maybe he could start on the trackers for now.
*
Every time M-21 heard a sound, he moved to a different area. Couldn't be found again. Couldn't be seen. No.
M-21 found himself in the meeting room and he huddled in a vent, watching the door and listening for decompression. He would be gone long before anyone saw him here.
The meeting hadn't been called yet. Tao was looking for him to drag him to the meeting first. That had to be it. There was no other reason.
He wanted to stretch, to get out of the vent, but he had to stay hidden. He could stay in the vent for longer. He knew he could.
M-21 turned his head, sensing Frankenstein's approach.
He should go. He shouldn't stay so close to the office.
Frankenstein wouldn't call a meeting for him though. Frankenstein was safe.
M-21 stilled when Frankenstein entered. Why was he coming here? There was no reason to.
He heard Frankenstein's huff and the slight scrape of movement. The clack of something being put down next to the vent, and creak of a chair being sat on.
"I suppose it does take an imposter to find an imposter," Frankenstein said, his voice mild.
Frankenstein was looking for him?
"You don't need to hide, Em." His voice was soft and gentle.
"I was seen!" M-21 hissed.
"Yes, and Tao's known for a while now."
M-21 narrowed his eyes through the vent, but all he could see was Frankenstein's boots. "He said that too." Tao had talked to Frankenstein? Why.
"And he was telling the truth. He hasn't called a meeting yet, has he?"
"No..."
"Tao has had plenty time to alert the others, and hasn't. He's known that I'm an imposter for a number of days now and similarly hasn't called a meeting."
M-21 gaped. "How did he find out you're an imposter?" Frankenstein was so much better at appearing human - he'd never had any suspicion cast on him at any meetings. Tao hadn't been there when Frankenstein had killed Yuri, so there was no way for Tao to see him transformed.
"I told him."
"You did what?" How could Frankenstein say that so calmly? How could Frankenstein have told him? Muzaka, he could vaguely understand since they were kissing or whatever, but Tao? "Why?"
Frankenstein chuckled softly at his question. Why did no-one act like M-21 expected them to? "He was concerned you and Muzaka might have needs that regular humans wouldn't require, if we were to escape."
M-21 narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what Frankenstein was saying. "He thought Muzaka was an imposter?" That didn't make any - okay. Muzaka was weird, so maybe that was why.
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Frankenstein admitted, "but that's what he thought."
"Hnng." Fine. Whatever. Tao had thought that and... Still hadn't called a meeting for him or Muzaka. Or Frankenstein.
"Tao hasn't told anyone," Frankenstein repeated, "and he wants to talk to you. Can you do that?"
M-21 grumbled, considering it. That was weird. But this entire base and the people in it were weird. And that sort of made this make sense. Maybe. It was all still weird. "I guess..." He could do it. If it wasn't a trap.
M-21 slid out of the vent, exhaling as he shifted back into his humanoid form. That...felt really good. He shook his hands and feet off, staving off the tingling feeling. So he might have been in his transformed state a little too long...
He narrowed his eyes at Frankenstein, who was still sitting on the chair. "Well then," Frankenstein said as he stood up. He picked up the chair and carried it to the table to tuck it in. "I'll be in the lab finishing off my notes if you need anything."
"Yeah, okay." He shouldn't. He just had to talk to Tao, right?
He heard Frankenstein leave the meeting room as he turned his gaze in the direction of Security.
Just. Walk over and talk.
About what he was.
To a crewmate.
Right...
Summary: M-21 hides.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,248
Total word count: 35,407
Status: Work in progress
Shit. Shit shit shitshitshit! He'd been seen. He'd been seen! M-21 dashed through vents, triple-checking he was completely alone before exiting. As soon as he was out, he dashed to the next closest vent.
Couldn't be seen. Not again.
He was already a failure. He was going to be killed for his mistake.
He had to hide somewhere. The vents? No. He couldn't stay in there forever. His room? The easiest place to find him.
He just had to keep on the move. That was the best option. But what was the point? He'd been seen. Tao knew.
M-21 froze, seeing a call come in through the comms. From Tao.
No. He wasn't answering that.
The call rang out and he breathed a sigh of relief when Tao didn't call again.
He stiffened when a message came through. [
hey em u ok? dont worry abt it - ive known since i saw you ]Lies. If Tao had known since then, he would have called a meeting and spaced him. It was a trap. Tao was trying to find him. He wasn't going to fall for it.
He wasn't going to answer.
[
em?]He was a failure and he should die. M-21 knew that. He still didn't want to and wouldn't just walk right to his death.
So he was going to hide as best as he could, until he was found.
Hrrrm. Em wasn't answering comms which... Yeah, okay. If the whole point of Em's side of the test was to murder people and not be seen, it wasn't surprising he'd gotten spooked.
No answering comms, and Em could move way faster and essentially sideways through the vents. Then...
Em would listen to Frankenstein, right? Be waaay more likely than listening to Tao anyway. And maybe Em had gone to Frankenstein too.
Tao swerved and headed back to Medbay.
"It's not often I see someone twice in a day," Frankenstein said, his tone light, when Tao entered Medbay. He was putting away some small vials into a cupboard.
"No hideous, fatal injuries here," Tao said, one side of his mouth twitching up. Not this time anyway. Hopefully not ever, too. "Have you seen Em?" he asked as he peered around. Medbay looked the same as ever with no sign of anyone else there.
Frankenstein shook his head. "Do you need him for something?"
"Need? Nooo," Tao drew out. "I'd like ta talk to him though. I saw him leave a vent and-" Tao wiggled his fingers, Frankenstein nodding. "He ran off and I can't find him or get in contact."
Frankenstein closed his eyes and sighed. "I see."
"He's not gonna talk with me willingly, is he...?" Not by the look of Frankenstein's reaction.
Frankenstein shook his head. "No, I very much doubt it. The last time he was spotted in a compromising position, he panicked."
Yeah, that meshed with how Em had just reacted. "Well, okay." There wasn't much he could do about it. "If ya spot him or he reads your messages, can you let him know I'm not gonna call a meetin' or anything?" Though by now it should be obvious, but panicky thoughts weren't logical.
Frankenstein nodded. "I'll make sure I do."
"All right, thanks!" Tao left with a wave. Maybe he could start on the trackers for now.
Every time M-21 heard a sound, he moved to a different area. Couldn't be found again. Couldn't be seen. No.
M-21 found himself in the meeting room and he huddled in a vent, watching the door and listening for decompression. He would be gone long before anyone saw him here.
The meeting hadn't been called yet. Tao was looking for him to drag him to the meeting first. That had to be it. There was no other reason.
He wanted to stretch, to get out of the vent, but he had to stay hidden. He could stay in the vent for longer. He knew he could.
M-21 turned his head, sensing Frankenstein's approach.
He should go. He shouldn't stay so close to the office.
Frankenstein wouldn't call a meeting for him though. Frankenstein was safe.
M-21 stilled when Frankenstein entered. Why was he coming here? There was no reason to.
He heard Frankenstein's huff and the slight scrape of movement. The clack of something being put down next to the vent, and creak of a chair being sat on.
"I suppose it does take an imposter to find an imposter," Frankenstein said, his voice mild.
Frankenstein was looking for him?
"You don't need to hide, Em." His voice was soft and gentle.
"I was seen!" M-21 hissed.
"Yes, and Tao's known for a while now."
M-21 narrowed his eyes through the vent, but all he could see was Frankenstein's boots. "He said that too." Tao had talked to Frankenstein? Why.
"And he was telling the truth. He hasn't called a meeting yet, has he?"
"No..."
"Tao has had plenty time to alert the others, and hasn't. He's known that I'm an imposter for a number of days now and similarly hasn't called a meeting."
M-21 gaped. "How did he find out you're an imposter?" Frankenstein was so much better at appearing human - he'd never had any suspicion cast on him at any meetings. Tao hadn't been there when Frankenstein had killed Yuri, so there was no way for Tao to see him transformed.
"I told him."
"You did what?" How could Frankenstein say that so calmly? How could Frankenstein have told him? Muzaka, he could vaguely understand since they were kissing or whatever, but Tao? "Why?"
Frankenstein chuckled softly at his question. Why did no-one act like M-21 expected them to? "He was concerned you and Muzaka might have needs that regular humans wouldn't require, if we were to escape."
M-21 narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what Frankenstein was saying. "He thought Muzaka was an imposter?" That didn't make any - okay. Muzaka was weird, so maybe that was why.
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Frankenstein admitted, "but that's what he thought."
"Hnng." Fine. Whatever. Tao had thought that and... Still hadn't called a meeting for him or Muzaka. Or Frankenstein.
"Tao hasn't told anyone," Frankenstein repeated, "and he wants to talk to you. Can you do that?"
M-21 grumbled, considering it. That was weird. But this entire base and the people in it were weird. And that sort of made this make sense. Maybe. It was all still weird. "I guess..." He could do it. If it wasn't a trap.
M-21 slid out of the vent, exhaling as he shifted back into his humanoid form. That...felt really good. He shook his hands and feet off, staving off the tingling feeling. So he might have been in his transformed state a little too long...
He narrowed his eyes at Frankenstein, who was still sitting on the chair. "Well then," Frankenstein said as he stood up. He picked up the chair and carried it to the table to tuck it in. "I'll be in the lab finishing off my notes if you need anything."
"Yeah, okay." He shouldn't. He just had to talk to Tao, right?
He heard Frankenstein leave the meeting room as he turned his gaze in the direction of Security.
Just. Walk over and talk.
About what he was.
To a crewmate.
Right...