There Are Imposters Among Us

DAY 3 - Afternoon

The 5 minute countdown started. Cyan1 was the first to tap on her screen with full confidence.

"I believe it's Black, they're a hard accuser on Orange and I didn't see Orange do anything suspicious on the cameras. They're innocent!" Cyan1 explained.

"Cyan1, if you were on cameras the whole time couldn't you see who entered Reactor during the day?" Red asked.

"Black's walking patterns were a bit strange today but except for that I didn't see anyone enter there," Cyan1 replied.

"Walking patterns?!" Black asked in disbelief.

"Yes, in my detective course at college we studied body language," Cyan1 answered calmly.

"The vent on the right side of the Reactor was open when I reached the crisis, the Imposter must've crawled through the vents after sabotaging. That might explain why Cyan1 didn't see anyone enter or leave the Reactor," Orange added.

"Do we have a map of where each vent leads to?" Purple asked.

"Pink had the app for it..." Cyan1 first said excitingly but her voice trailed off as reality hit her.

Everyone fell silent for a moment in respect for all their fallen crewmates.

"Then I'll also vote for Black, they know Orange well and could easily set her up for suspicion," Red said and tapped on her screen.

"I agree with Red," Green said and tapped on her screen.

"I'm sorry Black, I didn't have any suspicions of you first but then when you started accusing me I knew I was in danger!" Orange explained and placed in her vote.

"Well, when you all vote me you'll realise you made the wrong choice!" Black replied and voted.

"I think it's Cyan2! They haven't said a word this whole meeting!!!" Brown shouted aggressively and tapped on his screen.

Everyone looked over to Cyan2 unsure how to react. It almost seemed as if Cyan2 was oblivious to the harsh and concerned stares of her fellow crewmates.

A beeping noise started to come out from everyone's suits. The timer beeped from 10 seconds left. Purple frantically tapped on her screen as the last few seconds ticked past. The animation for the results started up on their screens as they all held their breath in suspense.

[Black voted on Orange. Purple voted on Green. Brown voted on Cyan2. Cyan2 did not vote. Red, Green, Orange and Cyan1 all voted on Black.]

'TIE' Flashed on their screens.

Everyone looked up from their screens in surprise, clearly unexpecting the result.

"Um... I wasn't expecting that..." Brown trailed off.

"What should we do?" Red asked.

"A tie is a tie I guess, that means we just continue our day," Cyan1 shrugged her shoulders.

"Phew!" Black sighed and sat down around the main table, "Now lets have lunch!"

Orange squinted her eyes angrily at Black and crossed her arms. "You do realise you tried to vote out the cook of the ship?!"

"Mhm, since you keep using your cooking skills as an excuse no one wants to vote you out. Even if there's obvious evidence proving you're an Imposter!" Black also crossed her arms and met Orange's glare with a challenge for a staring contest.

While most Crewmates watched the staring contest between Orange and Black, Red and Cyan1 turned around to Cyan2 who was still unmoving and unspeaking.

"I don't get it, we were all trained and took the same astronaut classes in order to be both mentally and physically healthy! Why is Cyan2 still showing signs of trauma?" Red asked Cyan1.

"Maybe there's one part still missing that could help her be healthy in those parts... Her spiritual health," Cyan1 sympathised.

The rest of the crewmates all cheered and clapped as Black won the staring competition. Orange shook her head disappointingly at the group then looked over to Cyan2. 

"You should get cleaned up while I cook. If you don't want to eat out here that's ok, I'll bring lunch over to the Medbay for you," Orange smiled to try and cheer Cyan2 up.

Cyan2 didn't move or reply. "That's very kind of you Orange, I'll go help my lil' sis clean up," Cyan1 nodded in a quick reply and pushed Cyan2 towards the bathrooms.

***

After all the blood was washed off Cyan2 she retired to the Medbay alone. She could hear the faint laughter of her Crewmates coming from the Cafeteria and the clinging of metal cutlery being placed onto the table. 

Sudden, unwelcoming flashbacks would remind Cyan2 of all the deaths that had occurred on this cursed ship. She shivered, sitting in the corner of the room and pulled her legs in closer to her body. She prayed. The exhaustion from the day was finally settling down on her and she struggled to stay awake. The throbbing pain from her bruised knee started to kick in.

All the horrible thoughts rushing through Cyan2's head were interrupted as she saw Green walk into Medbay. Her whole body tensed and she observed Green with anxiety.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm just coming in to check on you," Green saw Cyan2's anxiety from her shaking hands holding her knees. Green slowly approached Cyan2 and sat down next to her.

"Do you remember... The cinnamon rolls I used to make you on your birthday?" Green asked.

Cyan2 blinked surprisingly and looked at Green.

"Yea, ha. Actually they were crazy delicious," Cyan2 managed to smiled. 

Green smiled back joyfully. "Why do you think they do it?" Cyan2 asked.

"Huh? Who thinks about what?" Green asked, confused.

"The Imposters. Why they kill," Cyan2 said as she stared blankly at a wall.

Green looked at Cyan2 concerned for a moment then also looked at the blank wall.

"I guess... Everyone just has their reasons."

Cyan2 didn't reply. Green looked back at Cyan2 worried but then was reassured to see her with droopy, tired eyes. Cyan2 yawned but shook her head trying to keep awake.

"Shhh, you can go to sleep. I'll keep watch," Green comforted her friend.

Cyan2 nodded gratefully and fell into a deep sleep.