Chapter Text
Alternative Ending: Chapter 4
Red trusted Lime with her life, which meant that, despite her scepticism, she feared Purple more than she would have on her own. The moment the door to electrical slammed shut, trapping Lime inside, and she glimpsed Purple coming in her direction from storage, Red didn't think twice: she ran.
Purple picked up his own pace to keep up with her but he didn't gain on her; maybe she still had a chance! She dashed into lower engine, sprinted around the protective railing, bolted into the long corridor to the other engine.
A few metres in front of her, she glimpsed Blue get into security. Should she warn him? Would he even listen?
Of all the hypotheses swirling in her mind in the few seconds before the junction, what would happened next didn't factor in.
Lime leapt out of the vent in security at the very moment Blue stepped in the room. He turned tail before she could close the door, so she did the only thing she could.
She pounced, opening her chest mouth, and pierced his skull with her tongue before he could make a sound. In the same movement, she bit off his upper half up to the waist.
The delicious taste of Blue's flesh crushed Lime's soul. This was wrong. So horribly wrong. A nightmare she wanted to wake up from. But she'd had to and she couldn't waste a second when she might still have a chance to save Red. Later, there would be time for remorse. Later. Not now.
Only then did she realise she wasn't alone. And Lime's world crumbled around her for good.
"Run," Red gasped breathlessly as she passed security, without even glancing lest it allowed Purple to catch up with her.
She heard the sickening wet sound of the murder just behind her. Poor Blue, Purple must have been closer than she thought. But now she would report the body, Lime would back her up, they could eject him! She turned around, and her blood froze in her veins.
Purple, meanwhile, stopped to admire the gruesome scene with incredulity. "Well, I'll be damned. I would never have guessed. See, Red? I wasn't chasing you, I wanted to protect you. Lime's the Impostor."
As Lime sealed her maw shut into the usual form of a seamless crewmate's suit, she wondered whether the transformation was making things easier or worse. "Red, I…"
The other woman wasn't listening. She just stood, motionless, taking jagged and shallow breaths as she stared emptily at Blue's legs and at the creature she had put all her trust into.
When Purple took a step forward, Lime immediately interposed herself. "Don't even think of it. I will not let you touch her. I'll fight you if I have to. I don't care anymore."
Purple barked a laugh. "Me, harm Red? But Lime, you're the only monster here. We both saw with our own eyes what you did to poor Blue, may he rest in peace. I can't wait to hear her testimony at the meeting table." He looked past Lime: "Well, Red, are you going to report the heinous murder, or must I?"
Red still didn't move, but Lime beat Purple to reporting the body.
As soon as they all sat at the meeting table, Lime pointed a trembling finger at Purple. "Purple just murdered Blue right in front of me." She prayed Yellow and Orange would interpret the wavering in her voice as horror instead of guilt. She ran her options in her head. What would she do if Red exposed the ugly truth? She couldn't let Purple win. Kill him on the spot? Injure him and hope anger would make him reveal himself, so the others would at least know they had another Impostor on the ship?
Of course, Purple returned her accusation immediately: "That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard! It's a textbook self-report; we both saw Lime murder Blue. Tell them, Red!"
"Leave her alone! You can see she's in shock."
"Of course she would be, after you betrayed her like the heartless monster you've always been underneath your act!"
Orange and Yellow looked to each other. Purple sounded so sincere, but if Lime had been the Impostor, she could've gotten a free kill after Brown's murder by simply voting like everyone assumed she would.
Yellow inspired deeply before trying to sort through the few facts they had: "Purple. If Lime's the Impostor, how did she manage to murder Brown?"
"How would I know? I was on the other side of the ship! She must've planned it in advance and done a quick trip via the vents."
The other side of the ship… A half-formulated thought lit up in Lime's mind.
"Lime. How did Purple kill Brown?"
She looked up to peer intently at Orange: "Just before the lights were sabotaged, who was watching the cams?"
The question, asked in a low, soft voice, shook Red out of her stupor. She looked at Lime, then at Purple.
Lime insisted, "Orange, was it you? Because supposedly you were the only one anywhere near security, but you didn't seem to care much about my advice regarding cams and the admin table at the time."
Orange shook her head. "No… And security was empty when I looked. I did check because I thought I'd seen the indicator blink but too fleetingly to be sure."
"Purple had gone to medbay, and the vent there leads to security and electrical." Lime's voice was more assertive now. The implications were obvious.
Surprising everyone at the table, Red finally spoke: "Purple killed Blue. I saw it too." She cast her vote without raising her gaze. She couldn't bear to meet eyes with anyone.
Purple jumped. "What!? She's lying! They're both in it together! It must be why Lime saved her during the last meeting: Red killed Brown, and now Lime killed Blue!" This wasn't going like he had expected at all! What was Red thinking? She'd literally witnessed Lime munch on Blue!
But Lime's argument had hit home, and Red's confirmation finished tipping the scales: along with Lime, Yellow and Orange voted Purple without hesitation.
"Lime murdered Blue! Lime!" he shouted, tapping furiously on her icon as if it would change the others' decision.
As Yellow and Orange dragged him forcibly to the airlock in storage, and a silent Lime followed after them, Purple struggled with all his strength. He was going to slaughter Red in front of her! He was going to make them pay! But the more he lost his shape in fury, the tighter his captors restrained him. Red still hadn't stood up from the meeting table, and soon disappeared from his view.
The ejection was quick, if messy. By the time Orange and Yellow pushed him into the airlock, Purple was hurling insults at Lime in their native tongue and making threatening gestures with alien limbs. He still was when the sudden decompression silenced him.
Orange rubbed her own arm, more to comfort herself than anything else, and turned back to Lime. "I wish we had listened to you," she sighed.
Lime's gaze wandered in the distance. "Yeah. Me too." She shivered. She felt cold and hollow. Go through the motions until the Skeld reached Mira HQ, give them the intelligence she carried. Reminding herself of her mission made the turmoil in her head slightly more tolerable.
"At least we only lost Brown and Blue before we could stop him," Yellow added.
Lime winced. "'Only'?" Still, the last thing she wanted now was a fight. Shaking her head, she left to perform her remaining tasks.
Red followed Lime in admin. "Before you think of killing me, remember Yellow and Orange would know immediately it was you."
Lime couldn't blame her for the accusation. She had considered it, even if she'd looked for all the reasons not to. But it still hurt. "Are you going to call a meeting and denounce me?"
Red drooped her head. "No. You actively saved me when you could've let me be ejected for Brown's murder. But now I've repaid my debt; I won't protect you if you sabotage the ship or kill again," she finished with a heated glare.
"I didn't come to the Skeld to hurt anyone." As Red snorted, she insisted, "I want to help your people. I'm carrying intelligence that could allow Mira to win the war. All I ask is to be allowed to deliver it. Once I've made sure it's safely in their hands, I'll give myself up." She averted her gaze and added with an aching smile, "I'm just glad Purple couldn't get you."
"Save it. You're a monster, no better than he was. You didn't stop at murdering Blue, you ate him. I said I'll keep my mouth shut and I stand by it, but I'll watch and applaud when Mira executes you." Every word was hissed with venom, full of disgust, fear and hatred, and stung Lime like so many poisoned jabs.
"Red…"
"I've said what I had to say. Don't come anywhere near me." She ran out of the room before she could regret her words. Why did Lime have to sound so sad, she had no right to be sad!