Imposter [Part 44]
May. 9th, 2021 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Being bait.
Contains: Minor character death.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,731
Total word count: 46,487
Status: Work in progress
All right, it was a little harder to see everything precisely while on the move, but people's 'suits were nice and bold enough to see, even as Tao dashed through the base. Black had entered the medbay and was following Em through the building, as Em exited the specimen room.
There was an agent entering through the west Office door.
[Em, either leave to the east, or through a vent.] Both had their risks: the east door would take time to get through because of the depressurisation, while the vent meant aiming right for the agent as they approached.
Em dashed for the vent without any hesitation, and dived into it.
He did have a tail! Tao knew it!
The vent settled into place just as the agent stepped into the office. Good.
*
Takeo clipped the gun holster into place before he hopped up onto the communications pole. The 'suit didn't have as much grip as his hands, but it was enough to pull himself up.
As soon as he was up, he scanned the area around him. Hmm. He could see most of the base from here, but if he was spotted, he didn't have anywhere to go.
Being on top of the office though...
Just as Takeo was about to run across and jump, Tao's voice stopped him. [Wait a min, Takeo. Jump now and they'll hear you land.]
He nodded, looking across the base as he waited. Snow was starting to drift down and he frowned; that wasn't going to help take clean shots if it became thicker.
[Right, you're clear.]
At the signal, Takeo ran and jumped across the gap to the office.
He settled down near the centre of the office area, so he would be able to see across the whole of the base, but he would be harder to spot. He saw Em leaving the communications building, and Frankenstein was hanging out around the east of storage. That didn't seem right. Why wasn't he on the move?
[Take your shot at the east office door.]
Ah, that was why. Takeo readied himself, waiting.
*
Frankenstein tried to not fidget as they waited. Out in the open. Where Tao told them to. It had to be a bait tactic, because why else would they be standing there? They could just about sense where Em was amongst the suffocating presence of the other imposter, but that told them nothing.
The office door opened and Frankenstein tensed. Tao had to know someone was there. An unfamiliar 'suit stepped out, and paused at the sight of them. It didn't look like the other imposter's.
[Tao...?] Did they have to run now? Could they outrun a gun?
[Stay there, Boss,] Tao said, his voice calm. [You're safe.]
It didn't feel very safe! Frankenstein stayed where they were, seeing the agent reach for their gun.
Tao would know that. There was no need to tell him. But what else could they do right now?
They gritted their teeth, swallowing when the agent lifted their-
A beam of light from above. The inside of the agent's visor cracked. The agent scrabbled at the back of their head, before crumpling to the ground.
Frankenstein's harsh breathing filled their helmet as they stared at the agent, and then looked up, seeing Takeo's blue 'suit on top of the office's roof. Takeo gave them a thumbs up, and then retreated out of view again.
[Told ya you were safe, Boss.]
[Thank you.] Still. Knowing they were safe still didn't mean they'd felt it in the moment.
No-one else must have seen the kill, or else Tao would have told them by now. Which just left Frankenstein to drag the body to the lava pit next to them.
*
All right, that was a couple agents taken out already. Tao watched Em going through the western building while Boss stayed in the central area, within Takeo's line of sight.
Aris had only started moving again recently, and he must have done more damage than he initially thought. Or she'd been trying to revive the security computer. There was an agent in Security who was still poking around and that wasn't going to do anything to help.
Aris was heading down from Security, not where Tao was. She wasn't following him? Had he broken her scanner or was she just trying to head him off when he looped around?
Still, not that important. What was important was that Aris and Em were on a collision course if both of them kept going in the same direction.
[Em,] Tao said, eyeing the eastern building's wall, the rock mounds leaning up against a corner, [head to O2 and go through the vent.] Em should bypass Aris that way. If she even cared about him right now. She should, or else she wouldn't have brought an imposter with her.
Tao spotted Kentas hiding an agent's body in O2's main tree as Em passed him, diving into the vent.
He frowned as snow drifted onto his pad. Well. This could be bad. And good. He'll have problems seeing everything, but so would everyone else. Outside, anyway.
[Boss, hide in Communications a sec - gonna ask Em to disrupt the stabilisers.] Communications was occupied, but it would give Boss an alibi and keep him out of sight when everyone else was rushing for the stabilisers.
Tao switched channels. [How long does it take to hack into the destabilisers?] Tao asked, keeping an eye on Aris. Frankenstein made it into Communications, bumping into Orange, and started working on the wire panel.
[A minute,] Em replied. [Now?]
Perfect. [As soon as you're in Storage, yeah.] It would be obvious if Em wasn't moving with the others where he was.
The snow was getting thicker, Tao almost needing to wipe at his screen. [What's the snow like here, Boss?] He hadn't paid too much attention to it when it snowed, focusing on the inside, where most people were.
[Anywhere from a light powder to almost zero visibility. Will that be a problem?]
Tao exhaled. [Maybe.] He wouldn't be able to see anyone, but neither would the agents. The imposter on the other hand... They wouldn't need sight to find Boss or Em.
He tucked his pad away and charged at the wall, hopping up the rocks and able to catch the edge of the roof. He heaved himself up with a huff, and checked his pad. Still on him, and not damaged. Good.
He could see Takeo's form on the other end of the building, but he wouldn't go over just yet. He flipped windows on his pad, curling over it to protect it as best as he could from the falling snow.
Now to see if he could actually turn off the tracker. It would be a good test. Sort of. Then he would know if he could do it properly, and it would keep Aris in the dark about his whereabouts. Because as good as he was at multitasking, he couldn't add 'running' at the same time as well. Even for him, that was too much.
And with the snow, he might need to go back inside.
Putting in the code to get him into his tracker didn't take long and-
Tao flinched as his visor flashed red, warning signs flashing up as the alert of the seismic stabilisers droned in his ears.
Okay. That wasn't him. That had been Em.
Tao glanced at his screen, the window dark. That should be it?
He switched back to the security feed view, scanning for Aris.
There, still in the eastern building. She was peering at her scann - she threw it at the wall, the scanner shattering into pieces.
He exhaled, grinning as he got to his feet. She couldn't find him. Now he could move closer to Takeo. If she'd been following his signal, then it would look like he'd been near the lab last. If the scanner didn't also record elevation. Please let it not record elevation.
The central area was clear of people, Tao seeing clusters of people heading for the stabilisers. Boss was still in Communications, poking at the wires. Orange was still there too, probably finishing up a task.
[Okay, Boss,] Tao said, slipping a little as he jogged across the roof, watching Aris leaving the eastern building, while Black headed for the west office exit, [just use the vent to get away once Orange leaves.] Easy.
The snow was already falling in thick clumps, and that wasn't good for either him or Takeo.
Boss didn't answer straight away, or move as Orange left Communications, and Tao frowned, checking their signal. Had their communications been blocked?
[I can't use the vents.]
Tao stared at the screen. But Em could - Yeah. Em could. Em and Boss were different series - they had different abilities. [Shit, shit, sorry, Boss,] Tao said, scanning to see exactly where Aris and Black were. [Wait a min for-] Black was leaving the office. [Nope, get out now and go north like you're heading for the stabilisers.]
He'd just have to hope Aris only had his sights on him and not Boss, or know what colour 'suits the imposters wore.
Boss walked out after Orange, passing by Aris as he made his way north. She didn't pause or look at him. Phew. A few seconds later, Black left the office, following where Boss had gone.
Tao frowned, at his screen, peering across at where Aris and Black were.
[You have a clear shot?] Tao asked Takeo, sitting next to him. He could barely see them clearly, the snow starting to melt on the cameras. His own view wasn't much better, visibility dropping from the edge of the roof.
Takeo lined up the shot, and then shook his head, lowering his gun. [They're too close together. I'd need to take them both out at the same time.]
Tao sighed. It would have been nice, but they couldn't risk it. The gunshot would give their position away if Takeo missed.
Black was still trailing after Frankenstein. Stalking him. Maybe they didn't feel a need to rush, if they could sense exactly where their prey was.
Right then. Tao turned his attention to Muzaka and Kentas.
The stabilisers had been the signal, and he could see the two were already on the move.
Summary: Being bait.
Contains: Minor character death.
Notes: Among Us AU! :D
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-fi
Word count: 1,731
Total word count: 46,487
Status: Work in progress
All right, it was a little harder to see everything precisely while on the move, but people's 'suits were nice and bold enough to see, even as Tao dashed through the base. Black had entered the medbay and was following Em through the building, as Em exited the specimen room.
There was an agent entering through the west Office door.
[Em, either leave to the east, or through a vent.] Both had their risks: the east door would take time to get through because of the depressurisation, while the vent meant aiming right for the agent as they approached.
Em dashed for the vent without any hesitation, and dived into it.
He did have a tail! Tao knew it!
The vent settled into place just as the agent stepped into the office. Good.
Takeo clipped the gun holster into place before he hopped up onto the communications pole. The 'suit didn't have as much grip as his hands, but it was enough to pull himself up.
As soon as he was up, he scanned the area around him. Hmm. He could see most of the base from here, but if he was spotted, he didn't have anywhere to go.
Being on top of the office though...
Just as Takeo was about to run across and jump, Tao's voice stopped him. [Wait a min, Takeo. Jump now and they'll hear you land.]
He nodded, looking across the base as he waited. Snow was starting to drift down and he frowned; that wasn't going to help take clean shots if it became thicker.
[Right, you're clear.]
At the signal, Takeo ran and jumped across the gap to the office.
He settled down near the centre of the office area, so he would be able to see across the whole of the base, but he would be harder to spot. He saw Em leaving the communications building, and Frankenstein was hanging out around the east of storage. That didn't seem right. Why wasn't he on the move?
[Take your shot at the east office door.]
Ah, that was why. Takeo readied himself, waiting.
Frankenstein tried to not fidget as they waited. Out in the open. Where Tao told them to. It had to be a bait tactic, because why else would they be standing there? They could just about sense where Em was amongst the suffocating presence of the other imposter, but that told them nothing.
The office door opened and Frankenstein tensed. Tao had to know someone was there. An unfamiliar 'suit stepped out, and paused at the sight of them. It didn't look like the other imposter's.
[Tao...?] Did they have to run now? Could they outrun a gun?
[Stay there, Boss,] Tao said, his voice calm. [You're safe.]
It didn't feel very safe! Frankenstein stayed where they were, seeing the agent reach for their gun.
Tao would know that. There was no need to tell him. But what else could they do right now?
They gritted their teeth, swallowing when the agent lifted their-
A beam of light from above. The inside of the agent's visor cracked. The agent scrabbled at the back of their head, before crumpling to the ground.
Frankenstein's harsh breathing filled their helmet as they stared at the agent, and then looked up, seeing Takeo's blue 'suit on top of the office's roof. Takeo gave them a thumbs up, and then retreated out of view again.
[Told ya you were safe, Boss.]
[Thank you.] Still. Knowing they were safe still didn't mean they'd felt it in the moment.
No-one else must have seen the kill, or else Tao would have told them by now. Which just left Frankenstein to drag the body to the lava pit next to them.
All right, that was a couple agents taken out already. Tao watched Em going through the western building while Boss stayed in the central area, within Takeo's line of sight.
Aris had only started moving again recently, and he must have done more damage than he initially thought. Or she'd been trying to revive the security computer. There was an agent in Security who was still poking around and that wasn't going to do anything to help.
Aris was heading down from Security, not where Tao was. She wasn't following him? Had he broken her scanner or was she just trying to head him off when he looped around?
Still, not that important. What was important was that Aris and Em were on a collision course if both of them kept going in the same direction.
[Em,] Tao said, eyeing the eastern building's wall, the rock mounds leaning up against a corner, [head to O2 and go through the vent.] Em should bypass Aris that way. If she even cared about him right now. She should, or else she wouldn't have brought an imposter with her.
Tao spotted Kentas hiding an agent's body in O2's main tree as Em passed him, diving into the vent.
He frowned as snow drifted onto his pad. Well. This could be bad. And good. He'll have problems seeing everything, but so would everyone else. Outside, anyway.
[Boss, hide in Communications a sec - gonna ask Em to disrupt the stabilisers.] Communications was occupied, but it would give Boss an alibi and keep him out of sight when everyone else was rushing for the stabilisers.
Tao switched channels. [How long does it take to hack into the destabilisers?] Tao asked, keeping an eye on Aris. Frankenstein made it into Communications, bumping into Orange, and started working on the wire panel.
[A minute,] Em replied. [Now?]
Perfect. [As soon as you're in Storage, yeah.] It would be obvious if Em wasn't moving with the others where he was.
The snow was getting thicker, Tao almost needing to wipe at his screen. [What's the snow like here, Boss?] He hadn't paid too much attention to it when it snowed, focusing on the inside, where most people were.
[Anywhere from a light powder to almost zero visibility. Will that be a problem?]
Tao exhaled. [Maybe.] He wouldn't be able to see anyone, but neither would the agents. The imposter on the other hand... They wouldn't need sight to find Boss or Em.
He tucked his pad away and charged at the wall, hopping up the rocks and able to catch the edge of the roof. He heaved himself up with a huff, and checked his pad. Still on him, and not damaged. Good.
He could see Takeo's form on the other end of the building, but he wouldn't go over just yet. He flipped windows on his pad, curling over it to protect it as best as he could from the falling snow.
Now to see if he could actually turn off the tracker. It would be a good test. Sort of. Then he would know if he could do it properly, and it would keep Aris in the dark about his whereabouts. Because as good as he was at multitasking, he couldn't add 'running' at the same time as well. Even for him, that was too much.
And with the snow, he might need to go back inside.
Putting in the code to get him into his tracker didn't take long and-
Tao flinched as his visor flashed red, warning signs flashing up as the alert of the seismic stabilisers droned in his ears.
Okay. That wasn't him. That had been Em.
Tao glanced at his screen, the window dark. That should be it?
He switched back to the security feed view, scanning for Aris.
There, still in the eastern building. She was peering at her scann - she threw it at the wall, the scanner shattering into pieces.
He exhaled, grinning as he got to his feet. She couldn't find him. Now he could move closer to Takeo. If she'd been following his signal, then it would look like he'd been near the lab last. If the scanner didn't also record elevation. Please let it not record elevation.
The central area was clear of people, Tao seeing clusters of people heading for the stabilisers. Boss was still in Communications, poking at the wires. Orange was still there too, probably finishing up a task.
[Okay, Boss,] Tao said, slipping a little as he jogged across the roof, watching Aris leaving the eastern building, while Black headed for the west office exit, [just use the vent to get away once Orange leaves.] Easy.
The snow was already falling in thick clumps, and that wasn't good for either him or Takeo.
Boss didn't answer straight away, or move as Orange left Communications, and Tao frowned, checking their signal. Had their communications been blocked?
[I can't use the vents.]
Tao stared at the screen. But Em could - Yeah. Em could. Em and Boss were different series - they had different abilities. [Shit, shit, sorry, Boss,] Tao said, scanning to see exactly where Aris and Black were. [Wait a min for-] Black was leaving the office. [Nope, get out now and go north like you're heading for the stabilisers.]
He'd just have to hope Aris only had his sights on him and not Boss, or know what colour 'suits the imposters wore.
Boss walked out after Orange, passing by Aris as he made his way north. She didn't pause or look at him. Phew. A few seconds later, Black left the office, following where Boss had gone.
Tao frowned, at his screen, peering across at where Aris and Black were.
[You have a clear shot?] Tao asked Takeo, sitting next to him. He could barely see them clearly, the snow starting to melt on the cameras. His own view wasn't much better, visibility dropping from the edge of the roof.
Takeo lined up the shot, and then shook his head, lowering his gun. [They're too close together. I'd need to take them both out at the same time.]
Tao sighed. It would have been nice, but they couldn't risk it. The gunshot would give their position away if Takeo missed.
Black was still trailing after Frankenstein. Stalking him. Maybe they didn't feel a need to rush, if they could sense exactly where their prey was.
Right then. Tao turned his attention to Muzaka and Kentas.
The stabilisers had been the signal, and he could see the two were already on the move.