"Let's kill tonight - show them all you're not the ordinary type."
-"Let's Kill Tonight", by Panic! At The Disco
~~~~~
Location: Mira HQ
Green
Instead of going back to their room, he paced up and down, thinking.
Blue's basically out of commission now, so double-killing is out of the equation.
I can't count on her to do anything except vouch for me and give me an alibi.
So… how do I deal with Rufous and Aureolin?
Green sighed, sitting down next to one of the potted plants and putting his head in his hands. Oh, Lexacon, why do you have to make things more complicated?
Blue obviously hates you right now - and rightfully so. There's no counting on her right now.
You're all alone.
Again.
He sighed again. Maybe I SHOULD have killed her back then.
That would make this a whole lot easier.
The thought entered his mind - just kill her right now. End her suffering.
For a moment, Green found himself actually considering that option.
But he shook his head. No, no, that wouldn't work. The others would discover me for sure, since I have been around Blue this whole time.
Then I'd end up ejected and drifting off into space, waiting for my oxygen to run out.
… And am I reeeally willing to kill the only person I can trust?
He thought about it for a moment.
No, I shouldn't kill her.
Another thought came to him - but what if she rats me out?
Well… then it'll simply be a matter of silencing the witness.
And, if I can't silence her in time - the one person I saved would be the one to take me down in the end, which would be quite ironic.
I'm sure Maelstrom and Whirlpool would laugh about that for years.
And, knowing them, they'd probably promote Blue.
… But I can't die. Not now - not after I worked so hard to stay alive.
An idea came to him, and he smiled to himself.
Walking down the hallway shaped like a Y, where the bedroom doors were, he opened the door to his and Blue's room.
When he made it there, he discovered Blue's knife under her pillow. She must have left it there.
It was slightly stained with Fuchsia's blood, and another idea came to him.
I have to turn Rufous and Aureolin against each other.
Separate the duo.
Green pocketed Blue's knife - he doubted she'd need it anytime soon anyways.
He exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
He looked towards Rufous and Aureolin's room.
Green smiled to himself, and then made his way towards Electrical.
After turning off the lights and letting his eyes adjust, he went back to the Y hallway in complete darkness.
Slowly, he reached for the doorknob of Rufous and Aureolin's bedroom. He turned it gingerly, and fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on one's opinion - it made no sound.
The door was ajar, and Green slowly slipped in.
The two crewmates were asleep in their two beds. Aureolin was snoring very loudly, which was surprising due to her small size, whereas Rufous was curled in a ball like a sleeping cat.
With his size, he looked more like a misshapen dog than a cat.
He took out Blue's knife, flicking it into a good position.
And then he proceeded to wedge it under Rufous' bed.
He ensured it was hidden enough to not be immediately seen… but enough to be noticed after a double take.
Just enough.
After planting the knife, Green turned to the door and reversed his entry process to make it into the hallway again.
Okay, that's perfect.
He looked at his own knife.
Now, time for step two of the operation.
~~~~~
Location: the Skeld
Red
The lights had gone off again.
And, like the determined, brave heroes they were, Black and Red were hiding in a corner.
Once the darkness was chased away, they stood up, and the drawer containing the kids opened up, revealing the two little ones.
Maybe they were paranoid.
Maybe they were sensible.
But Red knew that all this hiding was becoming tiring.
If we keep running and hiding, how are we going to find or do anything useful??
He sighed aloud, and Black looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"I'm… just, sick of hiding, you know?" Red said.
She nodded, understanding. I know. Personally, I feel quite useless.
"Me too," he muttered. "Me too."
There was a moment of silence as they heard the other crewmates bustling around the ship. No screaming, no running - nothing.
Suddenly, the door of Communications opened, revealing Maroon, who was looking at them strangely.
Next to her was Peach, who instantly brought Red's mood down even more.
"Hello, Red - may I ask why you're both in Communications? I don't think you have tasks here."
Red sighed. "Well, the lights went out, and we decided to shelter here, in case of any danger."
From Peach's expression behind Maroon, he didn't believe a word Red was saying.
Red would have rolled his eyes, but he knew that being respectful to Maroon would help them in the long run.
I have to stay on her good side.
"Well, judging from the lack of incident in the past 48 hours… I'm thinking it was simply a one-time occurrence. Maybe someone had a vendetta against Indigo? I don't know, but whatever that was - the rest of us should be safe now."
What?? Red's spirit fell.
Maroon was right about there being a lack of incidents - no one had even looked remotely suspicious.
Other than Indigo's death and their own suspicions, there was nothing proving that there was even an imposter.
But I know someone's after us. I KNOW it.
… But what if I'm being paranoid?
Despite his rising concern, Red nodded. "All right, that makes sense. But why would you let someone get away with that?"
I have to stay on her good side.
Maroon sighed. "Well, we aren't qualified to investigate murders, so my thinking is that we'll just be taken in and questioned when we get back home. The authorities can deal with Indigo's murder.
"For now, the rest of us are safe."
… but we might not get back home at ALL, Red thought.
However, he kept that thought to himself.
If she doesn't believe me, it's no use trying to convince her. She'll just think I'm trying to take control from her.
Red nodded to Maroon. "Makes sense. Well, we should get on with our tasks - see you around."
Maroon and Peach left Communications, and after picking up the two kids, Black and Red left as well.
They decided to head to Shields, and Talon perched on Black's shoulder as she primed the shields.
Then, the lights went down once again.
Red's heart pounded, and he reached for Black.
However, before he could find his trusted companion, he heard a dull thump on the floor in front of him.
It sounded... like a collapsing body.
He heard Talon scream in fear.
He felt his blood run cold.
Before he could find Black or Talon in the darkness, someone else grabbed hold of his shoulders.
He was pulled backwards, and Red lost hold of Wren in his fear.
He expected to be slaughtered right then and there, but instead, he heard a very distorted, hair-raising voice in his ear.
"Oh, Red," the voice laughed. "No one else believes you and your theories, huh? What a shame."
Red shuddered, deeply unsettled.
The voice chuckled. "If I'm not your worst nightmare already... just know that I SHOULD be."
Red was released, and he stumbled into the railing.
The lights came back on, and Red looked around frantically.
Black was on the floor, unconscious - but still breathing.
Talon and Wren were still there, clinging to one another.
No one else was around.
Everyone was completely intact.
Whoever that was could have easily killed us… so why the h**l didn't they?
That fact unsettled him to the core.
Just then, Maroon walked into Shields, and her eyes widened when she saw Black on the floor, the kids shaking in fear, and Red leaning on the railing, panting and looking horrified.
"Is she okay??" Maroon cried, rushing to Black's side.
Red couldn't think straight, much less give a straight answer.
Why- why am I still alive- why is Black still alive- why did the imposter do that- am I paranoid- no I'm not paranoid- who would do this- what the f**k is going on- why doesn't anyone believe us- where are Pink and Purple- are they okay- shouldn't have become an astronaut- shouldn't have brought Wren into this- why did I let Black get hurt- my shadow-
My little shadow- I failed- my dear sweet little shadow-
If Black isn't okay- my little shadow- I failed again-
Then, Pink and Purple came in. Purple went to the kids, and Pink grabbed Red's shoulders.
"Focus. What do you remember?" She asked.
"They- the imposter- they said- they said-"
Pink blinked at Red. "Deep breaths. You're okay now - what happened?"
Red looked to the side, where Maroon was attending to Black.
"She's fine, Red," Pink assured. "She'll wake up soon, and she'll be just fine. That wasn't your fault."
My little shadow- Black got hurt- my fault my fault my fault- it was all my fault- if Black's not okay- it'll be my fault again-
He nodded slowly, still unable to focus on any one thing.
"Deep breaths. Take your time."
~~~~~
Location: Mira HQ
Green
Like a hunter, Green stalked out his next prey.
The lights were still out - after all, anyone who wasn't an imposter was asleep, so no one was going to fix them anytime soon.
Stepping into the room next to Rufous and Aureolin, he found Feldgrau and Gold.
Pondering his options for a moment, Green decided to do it kindergarten style:
Eenie, meenie, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe…
His finger landed on Gold, so he shrugged and went with it.
In a hushed whisper, he told Gold, "hey, the lights just got turned off, and I don't want to fix them by myself! You know, cause of the imposter!"
Gold was immediately awake, looking terrified. "What? Who's there?"
"It's Green," he whispered. "Come with me, quickly."
Gold followed him without question. So, Green pulled out a flashlight, leading the way through the hallway towards Electrical.
"So, you think there's still an imposter?" Gold whispered.
Oh, even better - there are still TWO imposters! Green thought smugly.
… Technically.
"Well, yeah," he replied, putting on the act of a scared, paranoid crewmate.
"Why didn't you ask Blue to go with you? Don't you share a room?"
"Well, yeah, but she hates being woken up, and I didn't want to deal with that beast as well as an imposter. I value my life, thank you very much," Green laughed.
Gold chuckled. "I see."
There was peaceful silence between them as they walked the last few yards to Electrical.
Once there, Gold started flicking the switches.
"Have you ever wondered what it feels like to die?" Green asked in an ominous tone.
Before he could flick the last switch, Gold turned around. "... Excuse me?"
Green smiled innocently. "Well, I've thought about it… I imagine that it's simply a painful scream into the void of nothingness."
Gold's eyes widened with fear. "What? Are you- are you-" He whispered.
"Say, you could test that theory for me," Green muttered.
"Are you the imposter?" Gold blurted out.
"... Imposter? Well, that's a rather mild way of putting my profession, but… yes. I am."
There was silence for a long moment.
Green could practically hear Gold's heart rate increase with each passing second.
Suddenly, Gold turned around, reaching for the last light switch, but Green swiftly approached him from behind and pulled him away from the lights.
Green turned out the flashlight and dropped it, leaving them both in complete darkness.
Clamping his hand over his victim's mouth, Green restrained his target, muffling his panicked calls for help.
"Now, now," Green said calmly. "It'll hurt less if you're still."
His target did not oblige, and instead writhed and struggled like a strangled serpent.
Green plunged the knife into his latest victim several times, making sure to muffle his pain-filled screams as the life slipped from him.
Gold's lifeless body slumped to the floor, his mouth still open in a silent scream.
Perfection.
~~~~~
A/N: I… don't know why I take such delight in writing death scenes.
Tomorrow, there'll be another chapter!
Question of the chapter: which group of main characters do you personally think is more interesting - the imposter duo, or the four crewmates?