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Chartreuse watched as the crew began to tear each other apart at the meeting table. His teammate had already covered for the two of them, along with a crewmate they had been marinating. Now it was down to a fifty-fifty between two suspicious crewmates.
The captain of the ship was a complete moron and willingly ejected both of the innocent crewmates while the rest of the crew watched. The two screamed and fought for their lives, but inevitably were thrown from the ship together. Now the crew was on seven. Only three more kills before victory.
The stressed crew began to disperse to continue with tasks or lock themselves away in the hopes of protecting themselves. Either way it would lead to their death or condemnation.
"Quit slowing me down, idiot." The captain barked at the child attempting to match his strides. "Are you trying to get us killed? Hurry up." Grabbing the child's arm roughly, he tugged them along into the next room.
"Humans are disgusting. Could you imagine treating your young like that?" Copper commented quietly, shaking their head. "At least we get to kill him."
"Leave him alive for now. He removed two of his own crewmates, perhaps he will further even our odds." Chartreuse replied, watching the father and child go. "Remain off his radar, and victory will be ours."
Copper frowned but nodded, beginning to leave but they didn’t get far as the captain returned within seconds. Both impostors watched as the man tossed the child into the room with them.
“I’ll keep up, I’m sorry!” The kid cried as the father turned away coldly. “Please! I’ll be good!”
The door swung open and he was roughly shoved inside.
“You want to act like a sissy girl, you can do your mother’s job.” His father glared down at him as he fought down tears. “Stop crying, Alexander. Act like a man for God's sake.”
“I’m sorry! I’ll be good!” He pleaded, but he received no response as his father stared at him coldly before slamming the laundry door shut. The lock clicked and he stared out into the darkness.
Chartreuse blinked away the memory, shoving it down into the depths of his mind. It wasn’t one of his, thankfully. The raised activity of his host was a cause for concern, even if his mind did not replay memories he was avoiding. Well, their mere existence still reminded of what he was avoiding.
“I can’t watch this. I need to go before I kill that guy.” Copper growled, shaking their head as they briskly left the room.
It would be smart for him to do the same, but he couldn’t help focusing on the child crying and begging on the floor. Abandoned. Despite his desire to put things behind himself, he couldn’t deny the resemblance to someone he had left behind.
He walked over to a task the child was left kneeling beside. They flinched at his approach, but he didn’t acknowledge them as he opened it up. He briefly eyed them, keeping his head still, and saw them looking up at him.
“Are you alright?” He asked after a moment, shooting a glance around the room to make sure no one was around. The child didn’t respond, looking down and away from him. “What is your name?”
They sniffled before mumbling. “Forte.”
Chartreuse hummed in acknowledgment and lowered his hand to the child, offering a handshake. “You may call me Chartreuse.”
Forte hesitantly took his hand, giving it a little shake before letting go.
He raised his hand back to the task, continuing to fake it. “Why does he treat you in such a way?”
Forte cowered, shrugging a bit before looking in the direction their dad had left. It would seem the man wouldn’t be coming back for a while.
“He wanted a son. He would even prefer a daughter, but instead he got me.” They answered softly. “I was born different. They couldn’t figure out what I was and I don’t know either but I know I’m not a boy or a girl.”
Chartreuse made a dismissive sound towards the ridiculous opinion on the importance of genitalia. His host had shared it but he had long since learned it meant little in the grand scheme of things. “There is no need for such dramatics and abuse over a ridiculous concept. In the end the body is simply meat.”
His flippant response seemed to somehow settle the child, who he now noticed had tensed further when explaining their situation to him.
“...He wasn’t quite my father, not really, but for the sake of this I will say he was...” He began, catching their attention again. “My 'father' put a lot of pressure on upholding his son’s masculinity. He treated those he deemed below him like dirt, and his wife let him get away with this whenever she wasn't permitted to join him. As for my real mother, well, she simply used her children for her own gain and couldn’t care less if we died. Parents are temporary and you will eventually find your way.”
“Thank you.” Forte said, their voice tight and wobbly as they held down a sob.
He said nothing more as he moved on from the task. As much as it disturbed him to open up to a human, he knew his walls were still lowered from his last mission. It would take time to build it up again and send his host back into the depths of his mind.
So, he didn’t reprimand himself too much. It also felt almost nice to be able to give comfort to a child, where he and his host had lacked it. Even if his host despised children, there was no interference due to the comfort the admittance provided. Yet he couldn’t let his host be too comfortable. This was his body and he could do away with the rest of the man whenever he liked.
Dinner time had arrived and it was apparent the child’s punishment still wasn’t over. Their father had returned, but he left them sitting on the floor as he ate. They received nothing.
Chartreuse would fully admit he had his cruel streaks, but he couldn’t imagine intentionally harming someone in such a way. There was no gain to this abuse, just pure malice. Even Umber got at least something from his disgusting method.
Copper shook their head again, sighing heavily. “At least we can kill him eventually.” They mumbled sharply.
Chartreuse hummed and looked down at his dinner. “I already killed another and disposed of the evidence. We need two more.”
“I’ll try to pick up the slack, but I got sus thrown on me at the last meeting so it’s been hard.”
“I understand.” He responded, idly looking around the room.
Some of the humans noticed Forte’s situation but simply turned away. It seemed a lot of the crew refused to do anything simply because the child belonged to the captain. Disgusting.
The two impostors watched silently, waiting to see what anyone would do. The only thing they did was leave, one by one. None sparing a glance to the child as they returned to their duties. Even the captain got up and left his child sitting there without any consideration.
Soon the room was empty and Copper left after heaving a deep sigh. "I'll see if I can find anyone alone."
Chartreuse didn't say anything as he watched Forte huddle on the ground, clearly hungry but too afraid to get anything. Or perhaps they were entirely reliant on their father for their dinner. The captain had put in a rationing code, which made the dispenser only give out a certain amount of food at certain times.
Chartreuse was lucky enough to have other dietary options, which prompted him to look down at his uneaten dinner. He still had room, but he was trying to cut back and not over-eat anymore. It wasn't necessary like it had once been.
Getting up, he approached Forte once again. They flinched away, but settled a margin as he crouched down and they realized it was just him. He never overlooked the irony of a human feeling safe around him and not among their own kind.
"Here." He said, putting the plate on the bench in front of them. The floor was closer, but he wasn't an animal.
"What?" They uttered in surprise, looking between him and the food. "But it's yours."
"I already ate." He replied, standing back up and walking away so they could eat in peace.
Stopping for a moment in the doorway, he watched them hesitate, before reaching out and cautiously nibbling on a fry. He turned back to his exit and left.
Chartreuse was still waiting on Copper to get another kill. They weren't a terrible teammate, but they just needed to take out one more crewmate each and then the mission would be a success. And the longer Copper took, the more time Chartreuse spent watching over Forte every time they were left alone. Which was often.
He knew the only real threat to them was himself and the other impostor, but he also wasn't certain of how severe the captain's treatment of the child was. He knew who the impostors were, but the father did not, and still left Forte all alone on a ship with deadly aliens. Abandoning them to fend for themself, as Chartreuse's mother had done.
Regardless he tried not to be noticeably watching over the child. He couldn’t get close, or lower his guard, or caught, and he certainly couldn’t get attached. Not again.
Still, he shook his head as Forte was denied dinner once more. This time for messing up a task they weren’t properly trained to do. Tasks were falling short due to the dwindling number of crewmates aboard. He could understand the need for hands, but denying the basic needs of an already stressed out worker was destined for failure. Depriving the other humans would only create a snowball effect of destruction that would eventually come back to bite their leader. Setting up such a thing was typically Chartreuse's job. The captain was once again doing the impostors jobs for them but in the worst way possible.
Forte was abandoned once again and Chartreuse waited for the rest of the crew to filter out. They eventually did and only then did he bring his dinner to the child again. They still paused at the gesture and he made no comment as he took a few fries. He sat down and ate, but pushed the rest towards them for them to eat.
“Thank you.” They said softly.
He focused on chewing instead of responding, not wanting to think about why he cared enough to do this. He really needed to get back on his game. He wasn’t even manipulating anyone this mission, aside from the occasional gas lighting. Next mission he silently swore to do as he usually did.
Then again, he had already spent a great amount of time waiting on his teammate. Why continue to hold off? If they didn't get a kill soon, he may just need to step in and finish the rest off himself. Slow and steady was only useful when in control of the crew, which he had not gained. Not that it held much value at this point so close to victory. At least that is what he told himself.
"Where did you get that? You little rat!"
An angry voice tore him from his thoughts and he looked down as the captain stormed over to him. However, the man completely bypassed him to instead grab the child.
"I told you that you don't get dinner until you finish your tasks! Do you expect me to just carry you for the rest of your life? Stop being lazy and get to work!"
Chartreuse stood up and put his arm between the captain and Forte. The man faltered and finally turned to him, but didn't let them go. He grabbed the human's arm tightly, squeezing until the child was released.
"Ouch! What the fuck do you think you're doing? Do you want to be ejected?" The captain snapped, trying to pull out of the other man's grip to hit the emergency button, but the lime coloured crewmate was much faster.
Chartreuse grasped both of the captain's wrists, slamming the much shorter form down onto the bench. “Your children are not pawns for you to use.”
Before the man could respond, he struck out with his free hand and snapped the captain’s neck. The body beneath him slumped over, the head lolling off of the bench at an awkward angle. Only then did he realize what he had done and he turned to Forte.
“You’re the impostor.” They said.
A momentary slip of his composure and he had completely fucked up the mission, if not his own life. He needed to kill the witness quickly before they could say anything.
“Why are you still standing here? Go!” Forte gestured for him to escape, stalling any form of retaliation he attempted to muster up.
He should have questioned them, but he didn’t as his flight instinct kicked in. He couldn’t be seen near the body as that would be the most damning evidence against him. So, he ran.
Finding Copper quickly became his priority as the two of them would need to help each other. Three crewmates against one impostor was far more dangerous than two impostors. Even if Chartreuse knew he was skilled, he was clearly off the mark this round.
Dead body reported.
Chartreuse cringed and looked back at the room he had escaped from. He hadn’t found his teammate and he had no alibi. Well, if this was it, he would do all that he could to talk himself out of it. If that failed, perhaps he could attempt to take on the rest of the crew himself.
Despite his resolve, he couldn't help scowling as he saw the remaining crew standing around the table. Three humans. Copper still had not killed, and the crewmates were questioning Forte.
“Did you see who killed him? Just point them out and we’ll eject them.” One of the crewmates said.
Forte glanced at Chartreuse and he felt his blood run colder than it already was. This was why he manipulated humans into trusting him, and not the other way around.
“I didn’t see anything. I just found him.” They replied, giving a fake sniffle as they stared down at their father’s dead body.
“If you’re scared to tell us, you don’t have to be.” Another crewmate tried to assure. They all spoke as if they had done anything to gain the child’s trust.
“No, sorry.” Forte continued to deny, shaking their head.
“Poor thing. Who’s going to look after the kid?”
“I will.” Chartreuse spoke up before anyone else could. “As unfortunate as the captain’s demise is, we are looking at a single kill. I believe one of the suspicious crewmates he ejected was actually an impostor. We would be wise not to dwindle our numbers further.”
“Good idea. Let’s just stick together and keep our eye out for anything suspicious.” Copper joined in, but they weren’t off his shit-list yet.
"If you think of anything, let someone know." The third crewmate patted the child on the shoulder, before everyone split off into groups. The three adult humans went together, leaving the two impostors and Forte.
As soon as the room was empty of unwanted witnesses, Copper turned to their teammate and grinned. "So, you took a liking to the kid."
"I'm twelve." Forte replied.
Copper released a small laugh and leaned down to the human's level. "I'm thirty-six in your human years. You're a child."
"You are a nuisance and a terrible partner. Why have you not killed someone?" Chartreuse questioned, pulling them back up by the back of their collar.
"I didn't know what our numbers were at. I'll go do that now, sorry." They squirmed out of his grip. "Don't act like you couldn't take this whole crew on yourself. You were graced with a 7ft titan body while I got shoved into this noodly armed bullshit."
"You can comfortably fit into vents. I cannot." Chartreuse reminded as he dropped them back to their feet.
"Great, I'll go hide in one and stab some ankles." They replied snarkly before slinking off to finally do their job.
Chartreuse sighed deeply as he watched his teammate leave, before turning his attention towards the child. "Why did you not tell the crew?"
Forte shrugged and looked at the captain's dead body. "What did they ever do for me?"
Chartreuse couldn't help agreeing with the logic, it was hard to argue. "You are aware I will be killing the rest of the crew, correct?"
"I can cover my eyes." They said, putting their hands over their visor and receiving a light chuckle from him.
He walked over to the captain's body and rummaged around in the corpse's pockets. Once he found what he was looking for, he lifted the body and tossed it out into Storage.
"I suppose as your temporary guardian I should feed you." He spoke as he walked over to the food distributor. Using the captain's card, he overrode that ridiculous rationing code.
Forte approached him and looked up at the machine. With indication from him, they reached up and pressed the buttons for whatever they wanted. The machine spit out their order and they lifted up the packet, staring at the freeze-dried apples.
Chartreuse stumbled as they suddenly hugged his leg as tightly as they could.
"Thank you."
His instinct was to pull away, and he couldn't help shifting over a fraction. He was fine with the gratitude, but he once again felt his host deliver a flicker of disgust at the child's contact. Shoving the influence down, he shook his head and sighed, but backed away regardless.
"Eat. I must complete my mission-"
"Copper just killed Brow-"
A crewmate rushed into the room, but they never got to finish their sentence as he sliced through their stomach. They clutched their torso, trying to keep their organs and fluids from slipping through the gashes. They choked on their next words and only then did he turn to look at Forte.
"Cover your eyes." He told the child, who automatically did as told and turned around for extra measure.
The crewmate tried to back away, but ended up slipping on their own spilled ichor. They fell back with a sickening sound, unable to even cry out as the air and their insides were simultaneously forced out of them. Despite their injuries, they continued to squirm as he approached.
Kneeling down beside the crewmate, he dragged his claws through the gore before raising his hand to his visor. His tentacles pushed forth and curled around his blood covered fingers. He pulled away with a grimace and looked down at the struggling human.
"You have incredibly high cholesterol. You should really watch your diet."
They didn't respond and never received a chance as he snapped their neck, putting them out of their misery.
"Oh, hey, you caught them." Copper spoke upon rushing into the room. They leaned against the wall for a moment to catch their breath, before looking at the other impostor, the dead body, and the child. "Are you traumatizing them?"
"Not intentionally." He replied, standing up and wiping himself off.
He didn't stay clean for long as the final crewmate ran into the room and skidded to a halt. There was no hesitation this time as his secondary stomach snapped open and snatched the human up. They tried to scream, but he didn't want Forte more frightened than they already were, so he squeezed the crewmate tightly. Bones cracked as the life was forced from the body they inhabited until it was completely crushed.
Copper watched their teammate drop the mangled body to the ground before silently turning to the other impostor. "So, how exactly are we supposed to send a message without a final survivor?"
"Ah, you are one of Tan's impostors." Chartreuse said, eyeing the other impostor. "I do not follow his plan."
They looked at him, trying to gauge what exactly his tone meant. Upon concluding it wasn't hostile, they relaxed a margin. "Not everyone does. I guess it's good we're both Parasites then or I probably wouldn't even know I wasn't alone."
"Um, can I open my eyes now?" Forte interrupted the impostors conversation from their corner.
"Wait." Chartreuse replied, picking up both of the bodies and tossing them into Storage. Then he gestured to Forte. "They are the final survivor."
Copper crossed their arms and frowned. "They're old enough to talk, but they trust you. The whole point is to scare the humans into not sending anymore."
"I can do that!" Forte said, continuing to cover their eyes as they turned in the direction of the voices. "And I don't have to say your colours. I can just say it all happened too fast! The impostors were like a h-hundred feet tall with big scary claws and they hid in the dark, snatching everyone up and eating them!"
Chartreuse shrugged and tipped his head towards the child. "I doubt you often get such a willing witness."
"That kid has an imagination, that's for sure. I think we might have traumatized them..." Copper shook their head, but they seemed far from disappointed with the setup. "Well, I guess that's a mission success then." Regardless, they took a moment to stare at the child, before moving on.
Chartreuse began to follow along, but paused as Forte uncovered their eyes and ran over to him. "Where are you going?"
"It is time for me to move on and infiltrate another ship." He explained, attempting to continue on but they matched his strides to the best of their ability.
"You're leaving?" They asked, their voice tinged with anxiety. "Can I come with you?"
"Kid, you're the final survivor. The whole point is you staying behind and scaring the rescue crew enough to tell their bosses." Copper was the one to respond, stopping to look at the child as well.
"Oh..." Forte visibly deflated, before looking up at the lime impostor. "I could leave a recording? Maybe it will scare them more if I disappear?"
"I work alone and I cannot protect you. It is best if you wait here for rescue." Chartreuse said, pushing the pile of bodies into the Airlock, causing the child to pause.
"I'll keep up, I promise! You won't have to protect me. I can just keep covering for you." Forte responded desperately, shaking the gore from their head as they focused up on him.
He loomed over the human's tiny form. "I am a creature of death. You are a child." He then turned back to the Airlock and shot the bodies into space.
"Please, don't leave me." They begged, dropping to the floor.
"You have a more than adequate food supply and the entire ship to yourself. Explore. Occupy yourself. You are free."
"They also have help coming, so they won't be alone for long." Copper said as they exited out of Comms. "I sent out the distress signal, now let's get out of here."
They walked off to get into an escape pod, but Chartreuse hesitated, looking down at the child.
"Please." Forte clasped their hands together as they stared up at him. "I'll be good."
He shook his head and rested his hand on theirs. "You will be safe here, and perhaps you will find people who can properly care for you." He said before pulling away and beginning to leave. They sobbed in response and he couldn't help pausing in the doorway. "I will do what your father could not. I admit that I am not fit to be a parent, and you deserve to be loved."
Chartreuse never gave Forte a chance to respond as he continued on, shutting the door behind himself. The ship rumbled, signaling Copper's departure. He was not certain of where they would go, but he knew this was where their paths diverged.
It was for the best. Perhaps working alone would do him some good, as he swore to return to his old ways on his next ship. No more getting attached.