Archive of Our Own ^beta

Blue shuffles through the tunnels with relative ease, keeping their ears trained for any sound above them. Nobody seems to be around so they peek out- looking for anyone that’d be an easy kill. Them and Black have done a decent job at clearing some of the crew without much suspicion, but there’s still a number alive. This wasn't made easier by the check in crew that landed not too long ago, forcing their plans to readapt very early on. They don’t see anyone, except for a flicker of lime in the corner of their eye-

Oh. It’s Lime’s kit. Crouched down onto his knees he digs around in some of Polus’ snow, doing who knows what with it. Blue nearly turns around back into the vent, but doesn’t. Where’s Red? They realize. She had said she’d watch the kit after Lime’s murder, but she seems to be nowhere nearby. Blue debates for just a minute before calling to the kit.

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” Blue asks, voice quiet.

Lime’s kit- or well just Lime now, since there’s no one else using the color- turns to look at where their voice came from. He seems to visibly light up at the sight of them, even if they’re halfway crawled out of a vent. 

“Hi! I was just playing in the snow!” He chirps at them. 

“Where’s Red?” Blue asks with a tilt of their head.

“She’s busy, and I wanted to look for my mom,” Lime says. “I miss her. She’s been avoiding me.”

Something sharp strikes Blue at that- had nobody told the kit his mother was dead? Admittedly Blue wasn’t mournful over Lime’s death. She had been a bit too smart for her own good, and the meal half her body made helped significantly in keeping both imposters guises. However, it felt cruel to not tell her child what had happened. 

“She’s not avoiding you, kit,” Blue says softly- the last word an accidental slip into their native tongue. 

“Where is she then?” Lime asks, taking a few steps closer to the tunnel Blue’s in.

“She isn’t going to come back. She’s gone,” Blue tells him.

“Where to?” Lime sits down in front of Blue, legs crossed and hands playing with snow and rocks. “Can I visit her? Cause I really do miss her.”

Blue winces. “No, you can’t.”

“Did she leave me here on purpose?” Lime suddenly cries, voice tight.

“No!” Blue quickly assured, unsure why they care this much, “No. I don’t think she’d ever purposefully leave you behind. She just-“ Blue clicks their mouth shut. It’s not easy to explain stuff like this to someone as young as a kit.

“Just what?” Lime sniffles, hand tapping sadly against his visor.

“Ask Red. She should tell you,” Blue sighs. 

Lime nods slightly. “Can you help me find her?”

“Yeah, of course kit,” Blue’s tongue slips again- a danger if anyone was hearing this. 

They crawl out of the tunnel the rest of the way, and gently help Lime to his feet. They gently grab the kit's hand in their own, and immediately start looking for Red.

—

“Where were you Yellow?” Red shouts, pointing sharply to the man she’s accusing. 

“I already told you! I was in O2! I was doing my fucking tasks!” Yellow yells back.

“That’s pretty close to security, ain’t it?” Black chimes in, voice in its normal drawl. 

“Exactly!” Red slams her fist onto the table. “He was the only person there! It has to be him!”

“You could have killed Green then reported!” Yellow shoots back. Blue can hear the defensiveness in their voice. 

“You think I’m the killer? I’ve got a child with me now! I’m not going to be killing and eating people with him following me,” Red growls. They think she might be glaring at Yellow across the table. 

“You could easily leave him somewhere, he’s six- he has no clue what's going on,” Yellow snaps, hands in fists on the table in front of him. 

“Well-”

“That's a fair point,” Blue cuts in. Red whips to face them, shoulders tense. “But the only time Lime ran away I found him, and Red was in Laboratory when I looked for her. I doubt it’d be her.”

Red shoulders relax, “Thank you, Blue. You can’t continue to accuse me, Yellow, I’m clear.”

“Fine! It’s not you- but it’s not me either I swear! Green was my friend-”

“We are all friends!” Purple suddenly snaps, sitting upright from where they’ve been quiet all meeting, “Most of us have known each other for almost two years. And even the new crew are good friends, that has no say in this Yellow.”

Everyone falls a bit quieter at that. There’s a ding from everyone's tablets. Purple has voted. Others are spurred into voting, and Blue joins them. A minute passes and then the votes are revealed- six for Yellow, two for Red, three for skip. Yellow seems shocked. He seemingly blinks at the results behind his visor.

“That’s- that’s a vote,” Pink says, his voice quiet.

Green, from the small drop crew, stands up. “Let’s go,” is all she says before grabbing Yellow’s forearm. Black and Purple stand up as well, and the three of them drag Yellow away from the table. 

Both crews follow after them, watching as Yellow screams and begs to be let go. Blue keeps a few steps away from the commotion, and that’s what probably lets them see Lime. The kit is peeking around the corner from Admin into the hallway. Blue had thought Red put him somewhere away from all the fighting. Blue drops from the group and walks to Lime. Someone’s eyes dig into their back, but they don’t look for whose.

“What’re you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be away from the office?” Blue asks Lime, crouching down closer to his height.

“I was! But I heard everyone yelling,” Lime rocks on his heels. “I haven’t heard you guys yell since White and Brown left.”

“Well, somethings going on-“

“That’s what Momma said when I asked where other Blue went!” Lime gasps out. “It’s all the same thing!”

“Yeah. Yeah it is,” Blue nods, they admittedly forgot there had been another Blue, Black had quickly killed the man to avoid confusion from friend and foe. “Did your mom or Red tell you what’s going on?”

“No,” Lime shook his head. “She said that if everything went well I wouldn’t need to know.”

Blue sighs. “Okay, well-“

“There you are,” Black's voice is sharp and cold.

“Hi Black!” Lime greets, voice a bit more chipper, “Hi Red!”

“Sorry, I thought he was further in,” Red rushes past them. “Thank you for keeping him away from- ah- everything.”

Blue stands back up and gives her a nod. “It’s alright.”

“I was worried you had run off, I saw you leave the group,” Black explains, a gentle nudge pushing into Blues shoulder. A question.

“Yeah I saw Lime and wanted to make sure he stayed out of trouble,” Blue answers with a smile.

“Well it’s appreciated, this and earlier- both earliers,” Red leans down and scoops Lime up into her arms, asking him a gentle question, “How about we check out Specimen?”

She turns around and heads to the decontamination doors, leaving Blue and Black alone. 

“So,” Black starts with a rumbling chirp, “takin’ a liking to the kid?”

“Shut it,” Blue shoots back, “We weren’t gonna kill him anyways.”

“Didn’t mean ya had to get all sweet with him,” Black teases.

Blue turns heel with a disingenuous and low hiss. Black just laughs after them.

—

Blue finds their crews Red on the wires near security, recognizable by the patch of fabric on her knee from an impromptu repair. The smell of blood from the room over is still strong, filtering easily into Blue’s unsealed suit. A glance down the hall to O2 reveals no one else around, not even the kit she’s been repeatedly assigned to. 

“Red,” Blue calls, watching her jump, “where’s Lime?”

“Huh? Oh uh-“ she looks around, “shit he was right here!”

“You need to keep better track of him,” Blue jokes lightly. They don’t hear anyone in the halls nearby.

“I know, I’m really trying here- he’s just so fast,” Red closes the wires panel with a clang. “Will you come looking with me?”

Blue licks their lips, not giving a response. They’re so hungry- the few scattered meals they can actually eat doesn’t help at all, and Red's right there. 

“Blue?” She calls back at them.

“Yeah- yeah I’ll come with,” they say.

“O-kay,” she says, turning to leave.

In the moments her back is bared Blue lunges, hands gripping her helmet as tight as they can and twisting until there’s a delightful crack and Red’s body falls limp. They guide her body softly to the ground and waste no time, yanking their helmet off and tearing  through the familiar seams of the suit into the corpse below.

—

Blue finished their meal fast. They had as much as they felt safe to eat, and spent a minute licking the blood from their suit afterwards. Once cleaned up they quickly left the scene, hoping to find one of the many other people to get a clear. They took the long way past Storage down around to Comms. They stumbled onto Purple and Black, the former holding Lime in their arms.

“Oh! Blue!” Purple seems startled to see them, but their voice seems to carry something sad. “Have you seen Red? Lime’s run off again.”

Lime waves at them, so Blue waves back. “No, I haven’t seen her.”

“Of course not,” Purple groans.

“I’ll help you look,” Blue offers.

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Purple nods. “I want to stop in Comms though, I need to do my upload.”

“Alright,” Blue shrugs, following next to Black as they go.

A hand suddenly wipes over their shoulder, and Blue looks sharply at Black. The other imposter waves their hand at them, showing a smear of red on it. They bring their hand to their face, and Blue rolls their eyes as Black makes a teasing show of being able to lick it clean without taking off a helmet.

“Feel better?” Black churrs quietly, trying not to be overheard speaking a distinctly inhuman language.

“Never do,” Blue grumbles. The meal had been filling for all of two seconds.

Black laughs, “You eat and eat and are never full.”

They both watch Purple put down Lime at the entrance to Comms. Blue can feel the look Black is giving them.

“Hungry enough for more?" Black asks.

“My claws will be clean,” Blue tells them. 

Black nods their understanding. “Hey, Lime, why don’t you stick with Blue.”

“Huh?” Lime looks at them, then seems to be happy about it, “Okay!”

Blue watches Back slink into Comms, the doors shutting behind them. Then they look at the kit at their feet. “What have you been getting up to?” They tease Lime.

“Playing in the snow! It’s really fun!” Lime’s grin is obvious in his voice. 

“How so?” Blue asks. They can hear a cut off yell from inside, nearly unheard.

“I’ve been making shapes and drawings! And little holes! The snow’s really thick!” Lime tells them delightedly.

“Do you wanna show me how you’ve been doing it?” Blue can’t help the way playfulness seeps into their voice.

“Yeah! Then you can do it too!” Lime cheers.

They take a few steps over to the nearest pile of snow, and Lime gives Blue step by step instructions on how he’s been digging all sorts of holes around. Lime is surprisingly good at making the little tunnels hold shape, or is at least better than Blue is at it. The lesson comes to a close as the doors to Comms open again, bringing Black and the scent of blood with it. The other is still licking the last bits out from their hands, where blood has already crusted to the false suit.

“Where’d Purple go?” Lime wonders, fast to notice the lack of the other.

“Still inside. They said we could keep looking for Red though, that way they can finish their task,” Black lies smoothly. Blue has always admired their ability to come with one fast.

“Alright!” Lime stands back up, shaking snow off his legs in a manner that reminds Blue so much of their species kits. 

“This way, kit,” Blue tells gently, taking Lime’s hand in their own. Blue hears Black rumble softly at the title, but pays little mind as they guide Lime far away from Comms.

—

Blue crawls out from the vent, happy to find Lime still waiting for him. Lime cheers delightedly at their return, and Blue doesn’t bother to hold back the purr drawn from their chest. 

“Did you get what you said you would?” Lime asks them, hands moving excitedly.

“Of course!” Blue says, faking offense. “It’s right here.”

Blue hands over the pack of colored pens they stole off Pink's cooling corpse, Lime snatching them immediately. There’s a spot of blood, but Lime seems oblivious to it. 

“I also got you something else,” Blue reaches down and pulls out a small notebook. It’s thinner than it was earlier- Blue ripped out pages with writing and then those with stains, the paper stuffed along with the uneaten upper half of the check in members body. They doubt he’ll miss it. 

Lime lights up at the sight of the worn thing. “Thank you, Blue!” 

“Anything for you, kit,” Blue rumbles, pulling Lime’s visor close to tap it against their own. 

“What did you say?” Lime asks.

“You’re welcome,” Blue reiterates.

“You should tell me how to talk like you!” Lime suggests. 

“Huh?” Blue can't help their surprise.

“Momma knows another language, and I wanna know one too! So you should teach me yours!” Lime explains.

“Maybe later, okay? It takes some time,” Blue sits on the edge of the tunnel, giving their best attempt to ruffle Limes hair, even if there’s a helmet on.

“Okay!” Lime agrees. 

Blue crawls the rest of the way from the vent, following Lime into Admin carefully. Nobody’s there- thank god. Lime sits down in front of the blank TV, and opens the notebook and pens to start drawing. Probably not the most worth it to kill someone for their pens, but Lime had complained of being bored and Blue couldn’t let a kit go without fun. 

So, they stole Pink’s supplies- and killed them. An important addition to that note, because they actually left the upper half of his corpse in the vents for later to eat. Lime took first priority. Kits needed quite a bit of attention from everyone close to one- and Blue was quite alone in this endeavor, though Black seemed to be warming up to the kid. Which was great! Especially with the way Blue has acted around the other.

“Wanna draw with me?” Lime asks them.

“Oh, uh, I’m not good at it,” Blue tells him, “Plus I do have to do work.”

“Okay..” he says sadly, “I wish you could stick around.”

“I do too! But I really can’t,” Blue sighs.

“I know,” Lime keeps scribbling on the paper for a minute. “Can you turn the TV on for me? Momma sometimes did.”

“Yeah, let me look at the movies,” Blue turns to the shelf. There’s dozens of films left by crews prior, and they start reading the titles out to Lime and wait for him to want one. Eventually one is picked. It’s a holiday film, one far from now, but the kid cheers when they put it in. It opens cheerfully, and Blue smiles.

“Stay here. Don’t run off,” Blue says, giving a final little rub to the top of his helmet before leaving. 

As they leave Office they nearly run into Orange coming in. Orange swears under his breath as he stumbles backwards, arms flying up towards Blue. Blue catches one of the arms flying towards them, avoiding it hitting their helmet. 

“Christ man, don’t do that,” Orange sighs as he calms down, shoulders sagging and arms falling to his sides. 

“I didn’t know you were here,” Blue laughs kindly, trying to defuse the leftover tension. 

“You’re fine. We’re all tense,” Orange laughs back, “Especially since Red and Purple...”

Blue nods solemnly. The bloody massacre that had been Purple’s body was sickening to the crews, a good friend to everyone brutally torn to shreds, body desecrated and clearly eaten in a rush, pieces left around Comms. Black was quick with it, had to be quick with it. That paired with Red’s death had hit everyone hard, along with the fact that nobody could reasonably have been voted off. 

“Where’s the kid by the way?” Orange pushes past the tragedies.

“Watching a movie in Admin. Thought it’d do him good to sit and relax,” Blue explains.

“Yeah. He should eat soon, too,” Orange says.

“I’ll get him something when I eat,” Blue answers. Even if it’ll make them a bit sickly feeling they’ll eat with the kit later tonight. 

Orange nods and they go their separate ways, Blue heading out and towards O2. 

Inside is Pink, the one that’s been here on Polus for ages now. There’s a heavy look to them, shoulders low and head hung. Blue can’t help the pang of pity that hits them.

“Are you alright, Pink?” Blue asks softly.

Pink jumps and faces them, clearly startled. “I- I’m-“ Pink cuts himself off, hands coming up to his visor as he shudders.

Blue, despite their mission, has been friends with Pink for these past couple years. They know each other well, and Blue knows that Pink is handling this worse than anyone. They can’t help the way they walk up to Pink's side, rubbing an assuring hand into his shoulder. 

“Purple was my friend, Blue. And- and Yellow, and Red and Green and it’s just us left-“ Pink heaves out a sob, “a- an entire crew of ten, down to three-“

That statement feels wrong. A crew of eight, down to one would be more honest. Blue continues to rub the others shoulder and as much of his back as they can reach, waiting calmly, quietly, until Pink settles. 

“Go get a drink,” Blue suggests, “get a snack if you can.”

“I have tasks-“

“That can wait,” Blue says firmly. “You need to be feeling better before then.”

Pink nods weakly. “Okay. Okay…”

Blue watches him leave O2, tension leaving their own shoulders. Black might catch Pink on his way to Office, but they doubt it. They wander through the halls to security, finding the blood splatter mopped away from Red’s death. The smell still lingers, however, potent enough to make their stomach growl. They’re hungry, they realize suddenly. They haven’t eaten since Red a few days ago. For most this wouldn’t be a problem- but Blue is one of the handful imposters who can't ever seem full no matter how much they eat. An abnormality that is both a benefit and hindrance on these missions. 

They try their best to keep their mind off the hunger by watching cameras, but they don’t log any of it to their memory, mostly distracted. 

—

Blue is still by cams when Black comes to get them. They feel like chewing their own tail off just to get a meal by then. They tell Black as much, getting a laugh out of them. 

“It’s late. I’m surprised you haven’t eaten,” Black tells them.

“I was busy,” Blue rumbles indignantly.

“Watching cams?” If they could, Blue imagines Black would be raising a brow.

“Getting an alibi,” Blue corrects.

Black shakes their head. “Why don’t you come with me, have a meal with me and Lime.”

“With Lime?” Blue presses. He doesn’t want the kit watching them both tear into corpses of the crews.

"I've prepared a lovely meal for us, just so we could join him watching some films,” Black tells them.

“Oh?” Blue adds a tone to their voice that asks a deeper question. 

“Found the surprise you left in the vents, and I found some free time to make an effort to hunt local wildlife- great meal don’t you think?” Black asks, standing straight and tall, waiting for Blue's reply. 

Blues mouth waters at the idea of a true meal. They haven’t eaten food from home in ages, or from Polus, ever. Real food sustains them far better than human meat. God, real wild caught meat. Black knows how to make an impression. 

“Sounds- sounds very good,” Blue manages to get out.

Black stands proudly at that. “Come eat with us then!”

Blue nods and stands, following after Black excitedly. Black stands tall the entire walk, Blue returning the gesture, much to the others delight. Once there Blue is waved into admin. Lime is still sitting there, but is watching another film. 

“Hello,” Blue calls to him.

Lime jumps a little, but turns to them with a noise of delight. “Blue! You’re back! I didn’t know where you went.”

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” Blue tells him, sitting down next to the kit, “Black came and got me though.”

Lime nods. “They said they would.”

Blue grins at the kit. They wonder if he knows it despite the visor. 

“Oh!” Lime suddenly moves to grab something, “Do you wanna see my drawings?”

“Of course I do!” Blue agrees happily. “Afterall, I got those pens for a reason.”

Lime laughs and shows Blue the first page. The people, while clearly people, look more like blobs than anything person shaped. Despite it, they’re colored in a way that makes it clear it's Blue and Lime. “I drew us!” the kit chirps.

“I see that!”

“Mhmm! I also drew you and Black,” Lime flips the page to that drawing, much the same as the other, “Then me and Momma!”

Blue nods approvingly. “I think we’ve got a little-” Blue blanks on the word, “-um, I forget what that's called.”

Lime giggles at them, “you forgot?”

“Well yeah, it’s not everyday I come across someone as good with drawings as you! Of course I’d forget!” Blue tugs the kit closer, giving them a teasing little squeeze.

Lime laughs more. Blue admittedly missed this. They grew up with young kits and hatchlings for most of their life, and being in space without that constant energy had been strange to get used to. 

There’s approaching footsteps and the smell of something good. Black ducks into the room carrying plates, their helmet fully gone displaying the face they’ve chosen to take. The features are narrow, but their dark eyes are soft and kind against pale skin. Black’s hair is the color of their namesake, long and falling over their shoulders with the rest pushed back. It looks more like a mane style than a human one. Black flashes Blue a blinding smile, teeth still sharp.

Black hands a plate to Blue, then one to Lime. Blue sets it down to help Lime get his helmet off, his face being revealed with a hiss. Lime shakes out brown hair from where it’s clung to his neck, hazel eyes bright as he starts to take bites of the food he’s been made. Blue removes their own helmet, revealing dark skin and pale eyes. They run their hands through caramel hair to get it unstuck.

When settled, Blue finally takes a bite from the food. It tastes wonderful. Their kind isn’t well known for its cuisine. Spices and flavor is not the forte of a planet based in eternal snow, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any flavor. Black seems to know what to do, because the meat has a nice tang to it that can only be made by searing the outside of Polus-native meat. Even when blended with the metallic tone of human blood it’s remarkable. Blue has to resist the urge to shovel it all in their mouth at once. 

“Enjoyin’ your meal, Blue?” Black asks. There’s a smear of blood on the corner of their mouth as they speak.

“Yes. It’s really good Black,” Blue nods as they speak, using a hand to cover their mouth.

“Mine too!” Lime chimes, “It’s been a while since somebody’s made me food.”

Black frowns just a little, eyes narrowing. “Well that’s mean, a kid like you deserves a good meal.”

Lime smiles, a little embarrassed.

“Black’s right, you deserve whatever you want,” Blue finally gets a chance to run their fingers through Lime’s hair, gently taking a few knots out with the motion. It fills some little wants of theirs. 

Lime keeps smiling as he turns to continue watching the movie. Blue feels happy, content, as they eat. For the first time in a while Blue does not eat with a violent fervor. They are slow, they savor each bite. They watch Black in the corner of their eye do the same. Once the meals are done, Blue hesitantly scoots ever so closer to Black. Just a little. 

Black doesn’t seem to have these hesitations, because as soon as Blue’s in range they lean their head into Blue’s shoulder. Blue smiles at them, getting one in return. There’s some blood around the corners of Black's mouth that Blue mindlessly swipes away.  The other imposter just huffs, closing their eyes and deflating further into Blue. 

Blue doesn’t protest- would never dream of it. They barely even shift from their current position, just to make sure Black won’t move.

Maybe something about Blue looks comfortable, because soon Lime is laying his head down on Blues lap. Blue takes a minute to pull their gloves off, just so that as they run their hands through his hair they can feel it. It’s soft. Not plush like a kit's fur, but it’s softer than most people’s. It makes Blue just a little more happy. 

“You like the kit, don’t you,” Black asks suddenly, peeking an eye up at Blue’s face.

“I- I do. I like them a lot,” Blue replies honestly.

“Well,” Black starts, pushing their face into Blues neck affectionately, “I think we’d make a great pair of parents. Don’t you?”

Blue and Black have been toeing this line for a while now, courting each other with as much subtlety as the alarm bell. They had been doing it for a while now- since they killed White and framed Brown a bitbefore the check in crew landed. It was easy to ignore just a little, enough to be professional with each other. But Black grew on them and Blue suspected maybe they grew on Black. With a kit involved, especially an orphaned one, it made things a little more complicated. Blue knew that if they said no here, Black would likely leave at that. Mating wasn’t something given out all willy-nilly, not by any means. Life was long, and Blue had to be sure they wanted to spend it with Black.

And they did. Just a little. 

“I think maybe we could,” Blue finally settles on. It’s not a yes, but it’s not a denial. Blue just wants more time.

Black audibly sighs in relief. “I’m so happy that wasn’t a no.”

Blue chuckles at that. 

Suddenly the room falls quiet. Looking up, Blue sees that the movie has ended, scrolling through a list of names. Despite this, Lime does not get up to get a new one. Blue softly shrugs Black off their shoulder before gently scooping up the sleeping kit. Lime’s breaths are even and his face is relaxed. Blue can’t help the low purr they let out. It's instinct so hardwired into them, but they don’t mind the feeling.

Black trails after them all the way to the bunks. There’s enough rooms that they all are able to sleep alone, even when they were a full crew of ten, then with the addition of seven. One of the benefits of what Polus used to be to MIRA. However, Blue feels inclined to let Lime continue sleeping with them, and admittedly it might put Blue owns nagging to ease.

They finally reach the door to Blue's  room, a plate on the front marking it as the Navigations Officer’s. 

“Well, goodnight Blue,” Black says softly.

Before they can leave, Blue grabs Black's arm. “You can stay for tonight.”

Black seems taken aback before they smile. “Alright.”

—

Blue watches Black's tongue snap forwards with admirable precision. It breaks right through Red’s helmet with no trouble, his body quickly falling limp. Slowly, Black pulls their tongue back into their lower maw. The body thuds loudly in the empty halls of specimen. 

“Ya wanna bite?” Black asks, casual in a way that doesn’t reflect the murder Blue just witnessed.

Blue licks their lips in debate. “No,” they finally decide. “If we’re gonna frame someone we should just try to get cleared. Best to join Lime.”

“Smart. Proud of you for thinking with your head,” Black teases.

Blue scoffs as they make their way back to upper decontamination. Black chuckles and quickly follows, stomach closing itself back into a suit. They both slip into the small room, waiting for the cycle to go through again. Impatient, Blue slips out as soon as they can, finding Lime where they left him. The kit looks up from the notebook he has continued to draw in over the past few days, quickly closing it and standing up to rejoin Blue and Black. 

“Hello!” Blue chirps at him, simply glad to be back.

“Hi!” Lime replies, waddling up to Blue.

“We’re gonna head to Comms next,” Black tells them both, “We’ve gotta finish some stuff in there.”

Lime nods in agreement. Then he seems to remember something. “Where did Purple go? They never came back from there.”

Blue sucks in a breath. 

“Same place everyone else has gone,” Black replies smoothly, “including your momma.”

“Where is that?” Lime asks, his voice growing sad.

“Somewhere far away. Somewhere you can’t go,” Black seems to be running through how to word this slowly and carefully.

“Is that why she went there? To get away from me?” Lime shakes as he lets out a quiet sob.

“No,” Blue finds themself saying, “No, your mother loved you. She wouldn’t have left if she had a choice.”

Limes breathing stutters, and Blue can't help but tug him close. “She was forced to leave,” Blue tells him. 

“Why?” It’s just one word, but Blue feels so awful.

Blue looks at Black for help. The other looks to be thinking.

“There are people here in space that-“ Black hesitates a little, then their voice is unusually quiet, “do you know what it means when someone dies?”

Lime nods ever so slightly on Blue’s chest.

“Well, there’s people here, on Polus, that are making it so people die,” Black finally says. “That’s what happened to your mom, and everyone else.”

Lime is quiet for a long while, sniffling behind his helmet and shuddering in Blues arms.

“Why would they do that,” Lime asks, voice so very vulnerable.

Neither imposter answers for a long time. Then Black just says, “It’s complicated. There’s no one reason for it anymore.”

Everything falls back to silence. Just the wind howling. Blue holds Lime close, petting a hand down his back comfortingly. 

“I’m sorry,” Blue murmurs.

—

“It has to be you, Yellow. You were in specimen,” Orange snaps. 

“I didn’t kill him- you know me Orange, I could never!” Yellow shouts. Blue thinks it a little funny that both Yellows have been blamed, but they suppose it’s just been the wrong places at the wrong times.

“Knowing you has nothing to do with this anymore! How could you not know there was a dead body in there with you!” Orange gestures sharply, the snarl evident in his voice.

“It was in the hallway to lab! I never came from there!” Yellow is quick to jump to the defensive again. “What about you! You could be trying to pin blame on me when it was you!”

“He was with me before!” Pink jumps in, “He would’ve killed me anytime then.”

“What if he was getting an alibi?” Green adds, her voice surprisingly calm. 

“Whoever’s the imposter is opportunistic- your guys’ Blue and Purple in canisters and the tree room after probably splitting up, Lime in storage after losing her kid, my Purple after being left by Blue and Black, both Reds now after being left alone by Lime’s kid, and now apparently Green. They do it every time someone steps away from another. It’s not Orange.”

Green nods, “Yeah. Okay.”

“What about somebody else then, because it wasn’t me, I swear!” Yellow looks like he’s pleading.

There’s a ding from someone’s tablet. Blue sees that Pink has voted. Then Orange, then Black. After a moment Blue casts theirs. Yellow looks to Green for help, but Green doesn’t seem all too keen on giving it. Another vote is eventually cast, a second before they’re shown.  All votes for Yellow- the man himself not having cast one. 

Yellow screams and shouts as Black and Orange drag him from the table and out of the office. The last three of them follow along, Blue checking and finding Lime still in admin, hopefully oblivious to everything happening. The kit is still sad from earlier, and this would not help him at all. 

Blue keeps following. Yellow is forced onto the platform above the lava pit, his legs shaking. There hasn’t been many votes on Polus. Most murders had no proof to one person or another, and the last vote Blue hadn’t watched. They had slightly forgotten how terrified someone looked on this edge. When Brown was voted out, they had been shaking and sobbing, legs unsteady as everyone circled them like hawks. Blue was glad they weren’t the one on that ledge. 

Orange is the one to finally do it, a quick shove and then Yellow is screaming. A moment passes then it’s quiet. Another unsuccessful vote. Blue looks at Black, and they get the feeling they’re looking right back. Three more. That’s it.

—

Blue takes one last bite from Green's corpse. They lick their lips to clear off some of the blood, but they don’t bother to clean themself fully. Black is already on the hunt for someone else- though Blue imagines Pink and Orange are together again. Blue finally abandons the body, not bothering to put their back helmet on. With their helmet fully off they can finally put their senses to good use. Here on Polus especially. Despite the heavy winds that are constant here, Blue is able to catch the scent of Black, though overpowered by the blood still coating them. 

They followed Black’s path down from the entrance to Labs down to the doorway to Office. Black must’ve gone through Office, so Blue took a turn to head to O2. The path didn’t reveal anything new, neither of the surviving crewmates were around, and the scent that lingered wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t until they were passing by the door to electrical cage that a gust of wind brought the scent of the living crew in. With a bit more speed Blue ducks outside, and not too far are the last two- Black with them. They must’ve left comms, or maybe Office. It doesn’t matter too much to them, but either way they -thankfully- haven't seem to have found Lime. 

Blue knows the instant they’re caught sight of by the way Pink goes still. They know the blood on their front is still there- it must be a sight regardless if they had suspicion or not. Orange sees them too, and he seems to very quickly go on the defensive, Blue can feel the heavy glare from here. 

“Stay there- don’t you dare come closer!” Orange growls, “It’s three against one and you won’t win.”

Blue glances up at Black, and the other doesn’t have an expression, but Blue can see they would be grinning if they could. In a way that might’ve once been kind, Black lays their hands on top of Pink's shoulders. Pink shudders, and Blue has to respect the human ability to know when danger is near. 

“I think you’re giving them too much credit to be doing this alone,” Black's voice is low and mocking. 

Pink shoves the imposter back, shoulders hiking up as he frantically steps closer to Orange. 

“Y-you?” Betrayal is clear and so raw in Pink's voice. “It’s both of you?”

“Surprise!” Black says half heartedly, jokingly. 

“Christ- we were friends! I trusted you both!” Pink cries, his voice wavering.

“Yeah, ya did. It’s a benefit of my position. Y’all don’t expect a doctor to be a murder,“ Black’s normal drawl is mocking. Blue can see that despite their air of nonchalance, Black’s legs are tensed and ready to lunge. 

The four of them lapse into silence. Blue watches Black for their attack, waiting for them first. Blue will give credit where credit is due, Black is the one who’s come up with some of the framing angles, and the one who’s kept the crew off Blue’s own ass. So, Blue waits for them to think this through. 

There’s a flash of movement from Black, lunging with hands outstretched towards Orange. Before Black can connect there‘s a loud bang! that halts Blue's own motion. Black yowls- short and sharp- as they miss their target, landing awkwardly on the snow covered ground. Blue eyes the glint in Orange’s hand- watches minimal light catch the sharp edges of a gun. Blue can hear the way Black gasps, and the brackish smell of their blood floods Blue’s nose. 

Orange spins around and Blue dives to the side, heart pounding as there’s a second gunshot aimed towards them. They recover as fast as they can, snarling and yanking Orange to the ground with them. Blue loses sight of Pink quick, more occupied by trying to find flesh to sink their teeth into. Blue yelps as an elbow connects to their nose, breaking soft bone and letting blood run fresh down their chin.  The brief moment that Blue takes to find their breath is used by Orange, the man grabbing Blue by the neck of their suit and forcing them face down into the snow. 

Blue hisses, twisting an arm behind their back and yanking Orange back into the snow. They use one hand to force Orange to drop his gun, the man yelping as Blue’s grip turns impossibly tight. Boots kick into them, but they pay no mind as they bite into Orange’s shoulder. The man hisses in pain, his free arm trying its best to pry Blue off of him. Blue pays no mind, shifting their bite until the material connecting the helmet and suit creaks under the force of their jaws. They can hear quiet curses through Orange's visor, voice growing more and more panicked. 

“Get off ‘im.” 

Despite better judgement, Blue slowly agrees to Black's demand. They slowly pull their jaws back, watching as Orange frantically crawls backwards in the snow, chest heaving as he gasps for air. Black crouches down beside Blue, but their attention is solely on Orange. 

“How did you know,” Black demands, their voice growling.

“You think you’re the first imposters I’ve met?” Orange's voice sounds afraid, but it still holds steady. 

“Having seen others does not mean you know how to kill us. How did you know,” It’s admirable how Black has kept their disguise up this long. With the pain and panic they must be in, the only thing revealed is their lower maw, teeth bared and a low snarl keeping pace with every word.

“You think it’s hard to figure out?“ Orange laughs, “A bullet to the brain barely makes you flinch, but a shot near the gut? That gets a reaction.” 

There’s a snarl, then Black brings Orange’s own gun up and fires. The suit's visor shatters and Orange falls limp. There’s a satisfied huff from Black as they stand back up. 

“Let’s find Pink. We’re almost done here,” they tell Blue.

Blue just nods. They trail behind the other imposter as they search, Black handing them the gun as they walk. Blue checks the safety, confirming it’s on before gently storing it in a pocket. Black is limping, Blue realizes. Bright pink blood stains their left side from the half closed gunshot wound and each step clearly painful. The exit wound was near to the soft part of their spine, far too close for comfort. Blue couldn’t help the low whining chirp they let out.

“It’ll heal,” Black chirps softly. “We should focus more on finishing our job.”

Blue blinks slowly, a contemplation that Black can’t see. 

Black seems to know where the last crewmate is hiding, steps sure of their route down to Comms. Next to the building is Pink’s helmet, thrown out into the snow carelessly. The man was likely still nearby. Blue isn’t sure how Black was able to track him so well. 

The two imposters turn into Comms, and Blue sees Pink whip around to face them both. He is wide eyed and gasping, dirty blond hair falling in front of his face as he backs himself into a corner.  His legs shake and Blue can see tears starting to drip down his cheeks, fear rolling off him in waves. Black looms ever closer, one hand displaying serrated claws of their true form, ready to strike and finish this god awful job.

“Please, just- plea-”

“Beggin’ won’t save your life, Pink,” Black snaps. 

Pink nods sharply, “I- I know. I just- I need to ask you something, please-”

Black flexes their hands. “Fine. Be quick.”

“Were you-”

“Always imposters? Yes. Pick a better question before my patience runs out,” Black bares their teeth, both sets exposed with the fake visor peeling back to show the upper set. 

Pink shudders at the display. His mouth opens and closes a few times as he fishes for words. “Is Lime’s son alive?” he manages to ask, voice wavering. 

Blue blinks a bit, replying before Black can, “Yes. He’s alive.”

“And-” for a moment Pink’s voice fails him, “and when I’m gone you aren’t gonna kill him, will you?’

“No,” Blue replies honestly. “He’ll be safe with us.”

Pink laughs humorlessly, “‘Safe?’ I find that hard to believe.”

“I mean it, Pink. I don’t need to lie to you here,” Blue levels him with a long look. Pink looks for a hint of them lying, wet eyes studying their bloodied face. “You aren’t getting out of here. Me lying to you means nothing, so why do it?”

Pink nods with that logic. “He’ll be safe,” his voice trails off.

“There’s nowhere safer than with us,” Black finally murmurs. “He’ll be more than safe.”

Pink nods again, blinking a few times to clear away tears. “Okay.”

They all remain quiet for a minute longer, the silence broken by Black taking a step forward. Then another.

“Don’t make Pink suffer,” Blue says quietly.

Black listens.

—

Blue hates flying human ships. But Black does not know how, and they need off of Polus somehow. In the seated room of the drop ship they know the other imposter is sitting there with Lime, keeping him safe and entertained while they dock on their savior ship. 

“Alright you’re gonna want to straighten your back out, we’ll attach to you. It’s easier,” one of the crew members of the ship crackles over a communications line.

“Mmhm,” Blue hums.

Ten minutes later all three of them are standing in front of the shutter, listening to it peel open. Them and Black share a look. Blue licks their lips- hungry. They’ve both stored up some food for this trip, hidden in their carryon bags. They need to get to a MIRA outpost, so this crew is off limits. Regrettably so. But Blue knows if push comes to shove they can stave their own hunger for a while, until they land somewhere.

On the other side of the shutter is someone in White and another in Green. The two crews exchange greetings. The person in White waves to Lime, the kit uses his free hand to wave back happily. 

“We have no spare beds, so you’ll have to room in the medical bay,” White’s voice is thick with a rhythmic accent.

“That’s fine. As long as we have a place to stay,” Black’s own accent is heavy with sleep, having spent quite a number of nights in Comms waiting for a signal to get off Polus. Them and Blue could survive fine there for a while, but Lime could not.

“Of course! You will be welcome here until we can drop you off at the next MIRA outpost,” White is kind with all of her words, each beat an odd comfort. “Are you hungry? You have been down there for quite a while now.”

“Yes please!” Lime agrees before Blue or Black can.

White looks up at them both for conformation, a nod is given back. “Well, the cafeteria is this way!”

In the cafeteria there’s a kid dressed in white, face wide with a toothy grin as they eat. Blue smiles and thinks they’ll be fine here for the few weeks they’ll be aboard. Then, Black and them will figure out how to get Lime to come home with them- wherever a human home for them would be. It’ll be solved when they get there, but for now Blue is content to watch Lime eat and talk with both Whites, Black leaning over and resting their head on Blue’s. With a noise that could only be content, Blue leans back into them.