Chapter Text
-Red-
I guess maybe the talking we did right after it was dead was just Purple being in shock, because now they’re curled in on themself and keep saying that “it hurts”. And I don’t know what to do…
Purple keeps breathing through their teeth, shaky and shallow, and it’s only gets shallower…
…I wake up to them screaming. I didn’t even know I fell asleep-?
“Oh- I’m sorry, I promise it’s really me-!”
Oh no.
Green. It’s back.
“Hey! How’d you get back on here!” Lime? What?
“No, I swear that thing wasn’t me, it killed me first, and used my body, and-“
Something drags me back and I struggle, finally forcing my eyes open to Lime in the vent and Green standing over Purple, who is still covered in gore and blood.
I vaguely hear Yellow and Brown maybe crying, followed by Yellow shouting and Orange screaming something about how they would never and murder is very against MIRA’s policies. There’s the bang of a door slamming open and shut and Orange’s voice is no longer audible.
Black comes running in.
“Oh, dear-“ Cyan starts from above me, having been the one to drag me back, but Black cuts them off by sprinting to grab Green by the hood, dragging them away.
Green shrieks in obvious panic, but isn’t actually doing anything- are they too tired? Why aren’t we all dead-
Wait. Why aren’t we all dead.
“Cyan, help me up, I need to go see Orange,” I command with my best confident and authoritative voice which is great actually and not shaking with fear and pain.
“Oh, but- I-I don’t really think you should be-“
“That wasn’t a question. Bring me to Orange.”
They bring me to the freezer. Which isn’t what I asked for. “Cyan. This is the freezer.”
Yellow, standing next to Brown, nods. “A freezer with two aliens in it, correct.”
“Can I come out now? Being this cold is a liability, and keeping crewmates hostage in freezers is not-“
Me, Cyan, Yellow, Brown, and also White, White is here, watch Black carefully swing open the door.
Green is curled up in a corner, lying on what may be previously cried upon meat sticks, genuinely sobbing. Orange, however, is standing right at the door, making everyone jump. “So, where do you keep the MIRA-mandated salt supply?” They ask.
“Wouldn’t you like to know-“ Black starts.
“Under the sink.” Brown points, and Yellow nods. “Why?”
Orange, very casually, walks over to the sink, grabbing some random cup and filling it with water, then opens cabinet under the sink to reveal a big trash can of what I can only assume to be salt. They grab a handful and turn back, and everyone backs up. They still don’t do anything.
“We all agree that this is salt?” They ask.
Everyone, the chefs and rock experts, also White I guess, all nod. So it’s probably salt.
“Good.” Orange dumps the handful in the water and throws all of it back at once- I truly cannot imagine how disgusting that is. Everyone else seems to agree, cringing.
“And you did that why? Also, what do you mean, MIRA-mandated salt supply?” Black asks.
“MIRA provides large quantities of salt for safety and for procedures like that one- drinking salt water is the only MIRA-approved way of proving your innocence.”
Everyone sits with that.
Huh.
Cyan, with a very delayed reaction, gasps. “Ohh! You’re not an alien!”
Orange nods. Cyan runs to hug them, which is nice and all, but-
“Hey, so why didn’t you tell us that? Before we all died?”
“You didn’t do any of the dying,” Yellow says pointedly, and I ignore that for now.
“Because I died before any of you. When the asteroid hit the ship, me and Green were infected. Anything after that wasn’t me. Oh, and as a captain, that is probably something you should know.”
Everyone turns to me.
“But certain circumstances can wave a report to MIRA.”
“…Wow. I don’t like that that is exactly what I was thinking of. Thank you.”
“Oh- wait, but what about Green? Should-“
Cyan is cut off by Lime popping out of a vent. Everyone screams. “You!” They point at me. “Do y’want your flesh wounds treated or not? Go to Medbay!”
The vent slams shut.
They have a point.
-
I am doing great. Fantastic even. I am so being an adult about the two stitches I needed.
I’m also doing great because I woke up and immediately abandoned Purple, who didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t get up.
I left them.
Good thing is Blue went to go find them, and it’s probably a fantastic sign that I haven’t heard Purple make any noise in an hour from behind the curtain hiding them from me.
“Have you seen Green and Orange?” Blue’s voice asks from behind the curtain.
“Quickly, yeah, Orange chugged some salt water and also maybe dropped some huge news about MIRA, and Green was sobbing in the freezer.”
“The freezer?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t put them there.”
…
“…Is Purps okay…?”
“They will be.”
-
-Blue-
Purple goes unconscious so quickly I’m almost afraid I gave them the wrong dose.
They didn’t seem to recognize me, or at least didn’t understand how or why I was alive. But never mind any of that.
I think I have some minor surgery to be doing.