Beneath the Ice: An Among Us Fanfiction

Chapter Eight and a Half: Beta

Beta could hear Forte sleeping restlessly and turning over in his cot. Which was to be expected, since for the first time in the history of the world, the commander spoke, which set off Clasher's rant and Petri's confession.

This was so above their pay grade.

Crewpostor as a Security Officer? Was that possible?

Senior officer as a not-so-secret agent with a not-so-secret mission? Are you insane?

Captain surviving the seven or so minutes of inhaling whatever the heck was in Polus air and being crushed? Definitely not possible.

Well, they already sort of knew that to be true. Cinnabar even explained it.

Beta's mind was blown and they weren't even eighteen yet. Well, they turned eighteen the day after the mission was completed. They were looking forward to that.

On their eighteenth birthday, they could legally change their name on their birth certificate and everything else. Probably still go with 'Beta' because why not? It was a cool name.

Why did they have to wait so long? Beta didn't really understand that, but it had something to do with a completely transphobic law or something-or-other. That sucked. Apparently the human race still had a lot of growing up to do. Even though twenty-or-so years had passed since that, legislation hadn't bothered to change it.

What?

WHAT?!

C'mon, people. It's not the twentieth century...

... We're not using nukes anymore to get our way, at least.

Beta reached onto the bedside table and grabbed the picture of them and Shadow. They missed Shadow; he was a good dog. He had a good life, at least. Beta hoped that they would be able to pass away as peacefully as he did, but highly doubted that would be the case.

The chances of being killed by an Impostor was twenty percent. Roughly. If they took the captain out of the equation, it was 0.22 continuing. Then there was the fact that the chances increased if you were with people, so maybe thirty percent if Petri was it.

How could you think that?! Beta reprimanded themself. Petri's an amazing Senior Officer! He'd never kill you!

Intentionally. Clasher said that Impostors don't have control over themselves.

... I hate it when you're right.

Because the last time I was, what happened?

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

Beta sighed and continued to do mental math. So, a somewhat high chance of being killed. What about ejected?

Very low. They literally had an alibi in Petri. Assuming he wasn't the Impostor. So... pain. It was either he was the impostor and killed them, or was their alibi. Apparently someone could be both.

Sitting up in bed, Beta looked over at Forte, who was appearing to have a nightmare of some sorts. They sighed. How many missions had Forte been on? Did he get therapy?

Beta stood up, put the picture back on the table, and crossed the room, shaking Forte lightly. His brow was furrowed and his face was covered in cold sweat.

Ew, but was he okay?

Forte still didn't wake up.

At this point, Beta was getting worried. How hard did Forte sleep? Last time they got up to go to the bathroom, Forte woke up and said that he had heard them walking around. Seeing that they were light-footed, this suggested that Forte himself was a light sleeper.

So why wasn't he waking up now?

They shook Forte harder and still nothing was happening.

Beta was starting to panic and Forte was now thrashing around, tangled in the blankets. In desperation, they yanked open the door, and sprinted as fast as they could to Mess, pouring a glass of water at sub-sonic speed, and ran back...

Just to find that Forte had woken up on his own. He was sitting at the edge of his bed, wiping off the sweat with a small towel that he had on his bedside table. Well, at least Forte was prepared. Even if Beta had poured the water onto his face like they planned, it wouldn't have been such a big deal except for the sheets. Beta stood awkwardly in the entrance to their quarters before closing the door and offering the glass to Forte.

Forte accepted the beverage gratefully and downed it in one go. Beta watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he drank the water. Human anatomy still fascinated them.

"You okay?" They asked.

Forte shrugged and put the glass down on the table with a dull thump. "Could be better. I haven't had something like that for a while. I was hoping to sleep through the night."

"I was trying to stay up all night," Beta replied wryly. "Or at least, my head wanted me to. Apparently I worry too much about getting killed by Impostors."

"That's everyone on their first mission," Forte said, "it's not just you, don't worry. You get used to the constant threat of death when you realize that it's sort of unlikely that a crew will get infiltrated. Like, one in a hundred. It's just when it happens, it gets exaggerated a lot."

"Well... that's a good thing to know." Beta sat down on their own cot and twiddled their thumbs. "I wonder, since I—cough cough—don't exist—cough cough—is it possible that I won't ever be infected?"

Forte snorted with amusement. "Rob a bank, then. See how that turns out."

"They can't arrest me if I don't exist," Beta said, shooting finger guns at Forte. "Good idea. I'll do that as soon as I get home. After I, you know, change my legal name."

"When's your birthday?" Forte asked, with a bit too much curiosity, Beta thought.

"July twenty-forth."

"Oh, right after the mission ends?" Beta nodded to the question. "That's cool! Mine's March seventeenth."

"Isn't that the day that the first Impostor attack took place on? Like, in history?"

"Yeah. Interesting, right?"

Beta nodded assent. "I wish I had something interesting happen on my birthday. I get a drought and someone winning their 7th Tour de France."

"No, there were wildfires in Cali!"

"That was the entire summer."

Forte scoffed. "Excuse me? It was part of the start of 'The Burning!'"

Beta laughed. "Why do you have to make it so dramatic?"

"Because it is." Forte replied. He stood up and grabbed the glass. "I'm gonna put this away and get a snack. Try and sleep."

"Don't eat all the cookies!" Beta called as Forte walked out.

"No promises!" Forte called back.

Beta noticed that he seemed to be walking away quite quickly, which piqued their curiosity. They then remembered the statement that Forte had made about roommates and frowned.

There had to be a reason why Forte suggested that. Beta thought for a few minutes as they laid down on their cot and pulled the covers up.

Does he... think I'm the Impostor?