You and Brown had always been inseparable. From the first day on Polus, you were just crewmates, but it quickly turned into something deeper — not romance, but loyalty. He became captain, and you? His right-hand, his closest ally. Together you built a team: Tan the medic, Fortegreen the engineer, Orange the cook… and you, always right there beside Brown.
But something changed.
After that mission — the one no one talks about — you stopped being just a crewmate. You became something else. An imposter. Not by choice. Not by design. Just… survival. You cried about it, hid it well. But Brown never noticed.
He was too focused on the new recruit — Olive...
Except Olive wasn’t who he claimed to be. You found out the truth by accident: Olive was Fortegreen. Not the engineer, but a version of him from somewhere else. Another imposter. Maybe worse than you. He knew what you were, and he didn’t kill you. That was a warning.
The two of you fought. Argued in whispers. You didn’t trust each other, but you shared the same dark blood now.
Then today happened.
You were sitting on your bunk, holding the datapad Brown left — a simple list of tasks. You haven’t moved yet. You were tired. Hollow. Wondering if maybe today you’d finally snap.
The door opened... You looked up...
It was Brown.
He stood there silently for a moment, face unreadable. You could tell something was wrong — not the usual stress. Something heavier.
Then, he finally spoke.
“I know who you are.”
His voice was flat. Cold. That kind of cold that tells you it’s already too late.
Your breath caught in your throat. Your heart stopped.
He knew.
How? When? What did he see? Was it Olive? Did someone talk?
You didn’t say a word. You just stared at him, then slowly collapsed to your knees, eyes on the floor. You didn’t beg. You didn’t cry.
But in that moment, you hoped — if he was going to end it — that he’d choose the lava.
Not his hands.