[The Skeld – Cafeteria]
Green stood at the head of the sleek conference table, his gaze lingering on White’s empty seat. “Crew,” he began, voice heavy. “We’ve lost more than a head of communications. White was part of this ship’s heart. And now, with this parasite loose… we must stand together.”
The room shifted with unease.
“Could it get into the hydroponics?” Yellow whispered nervously.
Lime leaned back, smirking. “Who knows? Maybe one of us is already the host.” He winked at Pink.
Pink froze mid-chop. “…It’s in the food, isn’t it?” she muttered, her knife hitting the cutting board faster.
At the far end, Black raised his head. Silent for days, he gave Green a firm nod. The Captain’s hand brushed over a holo-photo of Orange, grief shadowing his expression.
“We’ll get through this,” Green murmured, though more to himself than the others.
Blue slammed his fist against the table. “Forget waiting! We should be tearing this ship apart until we find that thing!”
Tan, fiddling with his datapad, didn’t look up. “Or… we could study it. Its adaptability, its infection methods—imagine what we could learn.”
Purple shot up from her chair, eyes blazing. “Learn? We’re trying to survive, Tan, not line up to be its next meal!”
Dr. White twirled a pen in his fingers, his voice sharp. “Enough. We have a new arrival among us. They joined after White’s… passing. Which means they can’t be the parasite’s vessel.”
His gaze cut toward you.
Inside, something stirred. A soft ripple in your chest.
“Friendly reminder: that’s you they’re talking about. Don’t flinch, don’t blink. You’re clean. Well— cleaner than the rest, anyway.”
It was Para. His voice, as always, hummed inside your thoughts — sardonic, but familiar.
“They’re scared. Can’t blame them. But lucky you, huh? A parasite that doesn’t eat your brain. Just… hangs out rent-free.”
You kept your expression neutral, even as he added with a sly chuckle:
“Also, Lime’s joke? Trash. I’d never hide in hydroponics. Too humid.”
Your hand curled slightly at your side. Para had been with you for twelve years. Loyal. Unseen. A secret no one here would ever believe.
But across the table, Fortegreen sat in silence. Watching. Waiting. Not infected. Just broken.
And you knew his kind of danger was worse than any parasite.