Beneath the Ice: An Among Us Fanfiction

Chapter Three and a Half: Clasher

Clasher was pretending to be asleep.

Okay, well, not like there was anything else he could do. Petri was still up (or maybe he woke up as well and couldn't sleep) and was murmuring something to himself while tinkering (Hello, you were the one who dragged me here and yet you yourself aren't going to sleep?)

Or maybe he was checking some sort of report or file. Clasher wouldn't know because, again, he was pretending to be asleep.

He was just grateful that he had had so many nightmares and flashbacks that he didn't wake up screaming. Not anymore, anyway. Although, he did wonder if anyone else here woke up to a cold sweat to the death of their own parent.

Probably not. With Clasher's luck, he was the only one.

Clasher rubbed the wristband and listened to Petri's muttering. Petri let out a faint sigh and murmured something about Impostors. That was weird. Clasher would have guessed that Petri was here for some other reason other than purely Impostor reasons. He was aware that there was a branch intensely focused on them, but he didn't take Petri for that kind of scientist.

The bed springs creaked as Petri got up. Clasher heard him rummage around for a while, and then the door slid open and closed. He turned over and saw that Petri had exited the room, probably for a cup of water or to go to the bathroom.

Whatever. If Petri was making such a big deal about Impostors, then there had to be some reason other than pure curiosity. Clasher debated in his head for a bit and got up. He crossed the room and flipped open the file on Petri's nightstand.

You're gonna regret this...

"Petri Newton... Galeforce...?" Clasher murmured. That couldn't be right. Clasher couldn't believe that could be right. The mostly happy-go-lucky scientist related to the stern and imposing admiral? Unreal. Not possible. Maybe it was simple coincidence?

Then again, Petri never took off his lab coat long enough for Clasher to read the nametag that was stitched into everyone's right breast. 

Clasher's eyes traveled down the page and found Petri's parents. "Admiral Horizon Winter Galeforce. Okay—definitely not coincidence. Someone should have warned me about this."

The admiral. Having a kid. And that kid going on missions. Clasher had never heard of it. Why wasn't there more security measures implanted? He searched the paper for Petri's other parent and found a name.

"Wren Lux Rhys. Science specialist in the seventeenth division. Died July second, twenty-ninety—okay, something's up." Clasher quickly closed the file and sat down on his own bed, staring at the bed of his newly-made friend.

July second was the same day that his own mother had died. During the 2090 Command Gathering. Clasher squeezed his eyes shut as he remembered that thrown knife, his mother's look of shock before succumbing to nothingness, Dusk's horror and her faint smile before turning the knife on herself, tentacles and body crashing to the ground.

Everyone had known who the other Impostor was and ejected them. Dusk's parasite wanted revenge; an eye for an eye. Even if it meant killing her best friend.

And the worst part? It's wasn't Luna's fault that she could name the killer. Clasher was the one who had found out who the Impostor was; he had just told his mother to tell everyone else because they would believe a fully-grown woman way before they would even listen to a twelve-year-old. Apparently a kid couldn't understand the harshness of the 'real world,' but little did they know, he did.

He probably understood it better than those officers, anyway.

If Clasher had waited or remained silent, maybe things would be different. Maybe his mother would still be alive. Maybe Clasher would be able to make more friends. He would definitely be less traumatized. That was for sure.

It was his fault that his own mother was dead.

Sure, Clasher didn't actually throw the knife, but he might as well have. Of course, that technically meant that he was indirectly responsible for the deaths of two people.

Not something that Clasher was all that proud of.

Actually, come to think of it, there were probably more things that he wasn't proud of compared to what he was. Definitely meant that the universe wasn't balanced.

Although, when was it ever what it was supposed to be? You mean to save people and inadvertently kill two more. You mean to keep and eye on and keep the Captain safe and the next thing you know, someone lynched him on the electrical wires. You mean to do you job and Impostors lose control and ruin it.

Clasher shook his head. He had to think. Petri related to Dr. Rhys wasn't exactly a sort of surprise—it explained many things—but it made things a bit complicated.

More than a bit complicated, actually. Depending on which kind of scientist he was in the branch, he might interfere with Clasher's personal mission. Clasher didn't know whether or not Petri had something against Impostors and that was the reason why he was in the branch, nor did he know Petri's true intentions.

He had met many people in his past who were absolutely fine and dandy until Impostors entered the equation. That was an awkward exchange.

Clasher jerked his head up as he heard the approaching footsteps from Petri. In what was probably record time, he closed the file, placed it back to exactly where it was, and jumped back into his own bed, throwing the covers over himself just as the door opened.

As Petri entered the room, Clasher heard the faint sound of a mug being placed on the bedside table. Petri let out a yawn and not five minutes later, was asleep.

Calming his beating heart, Clasher looked over at Petri, who hadn't bothered to take off his analytic glasses.

From how banged up the glasses were, it had probably gone through more than one user. Clasher wouldn't have been surprised if it was Dr. Rhys'.

He wished he had something like that for his mother. The only thing he got was that stupid memorial plaque and a grave about five minutes away from base.

Curse you, parasites who took over crewmates. Curse you.