An Impostor Among Them

Part 7: Honestly, I Kinda Think It's You

I had just finished scrubbing the dust out of the air filter when I heard the quiet, rapid drumming of boots against the hallway floor. They quickly grew louder, and before I knew it, Lime turned abruptly through the doorway and stood at the other side of the room, her fiery stare piercing into mine.

"Okay, Cy, I'll need you to stay in the room this time. What's up with all of this?"

"Lime, I'm sorry," I pleaded. "It's not you. Everyone has been suspicious of one another. I'm sure you've noticed."

"I have. And I get that you're wary of me. But there's a difference between caution and downright paranoia. The fact that you don't feel safe around me to the point of physical avoidance makes me feel like I've done something wrong." She didn't sound angry like I expected her to be. Actually, to my horror, she looked about ready to cry. "We've known each other for almost six years now. Did all that mean nothing to you?"

"I don't mean anything personal by this," I said, desperately trying to sound as sincere as I felt. "I'm just trying to figure out who I can trust. I trust you with all my heart, but the impostor has taken over one of us, and they're blending in seamlessly."

"If you trust me, you sure as hell aren't showing it. When on this ship have I ever acted suspiciously to you?" Lime cried defensively, sounding increasingly upset. "I've been alone with you dozens of times. I could have killed you any one of those times! I defended you at the meeting, and for all I know, you could be preparing to stab me ."

"I understand that," I said back, trying not to lose my cool. "I'm sorry. We can do a few tasks together if you want—which ones do you have today?"

"We could work together, but you still won't trust me, will you?" Lime stared at me with a pained look in her eyes. To my dismay, she drew in a quivering breath and began blinking rapidly before turning to the door.

"Lime, stop," I begged. She didn't answer. Right before she was out of the room, I grabbed her shoulder and said one last time, "Wait!"

She spun around and snapped, "Get the hell away from me! I'm done with this. We'll talk later." With that, she immediately took off down the hallway.

I stood there for a minute, shocked. Damn. I never realized just how badly I was hurting her.

After the shock wore off, I began to make my way toward Communications to download today's data. Brown and Black, our respective mechanic and programmer, had gotten the cameras and some of the equipment in Admin working again. Everything else, however, was still down. We hadn't gotten so much as a signal from ground control since the radio malfunction.

Before I could get far, however, something caught my attention: the sound of a vent clattering shut down the hall behind me. I froze in horror. Those things are too small for a human to fit through. Is the impostor using the vents to get around?

It must be. But I don't know who it is. The others would be pissed if I called a meeting for no reason.

When I turned around, I saw nothing.

I backed away uneasily and hasted my steps into Communications. I had no proof as to who had vented—vented, heh, that's a fun term. I'd just make myself look suspicious if I called an emergency meeting without any rock solid evidence, as Black had called it, so I decided not to.

The thought chewed away at me as I plugged my tablet in and began the download. Downloading always takes forever, but this time it seemed to crawl by.