AN: I just noticed that there's an Among Us category here, which means I can finally post this! I'll also use this as a quick reminder for more of my long-term followers that I do tend to post more on AO3 than here!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Power outages were a rare occurrence on Talos I. The extensive solar panels, multitude of backup generators, and the constant storing of power in case anything failed. Of course the wiring might occasionally give out here or there in some of the less important sections of the space station, plus there was that one light bulb in the main lobby that just kept flickering, but other than that system failures caused by power outages were rare.
And if they did occur, sabotage was one of the more likely suspects, and had been in the past.
This meant that when the power to the cameras observing Morgan's room cut out, the cameras themselves glitching and fizzling out, security had immediately been alerted, as had Alex. Fortunately, the power returned a moment later and an inspection done by both security and electrical staff showed that there was no foul play to be suspected, that a technical error had just occurred.
A slim possibility that was the only explanation for the power suddenly going out. Alex had, of course, been less than pleased to hear this, especially since there was no conclusive evidence that a technical failure was the definite cause. The older Yu sibling had huffed and puffed in aggravation, but ultimately concluded that the neuromod tests would continue the next day despite the strange occurrence.
Not before informing Dr. Bellamy to keep a close eye on Morgan during the examination, of course.
However, there had been one piece of information present on the recordings that had been overlooked, assumed to be nothing more than part of the error that had caused the cameras to lose power in the first place.
There had been a dark, indistinguishable smudge that had raced towards Morgan's bed. It had been visible for less than a second and seemed to just appear before disappearing, which is why the sight of it had been dismissed.
Merely a symptom of the camera becoming fuzzy before fully going out, nothing to be worried about. No Typhon had broken containment, everything was fine.
After all, they only had the Typhon to be concerned with…
Right?
The next day, Dr. Sylvain Bellamy felt… off as he watched Morgan Yu slowly make her way over to the testing chambers. He had felt tense ever since he had first woken up, the scant bit of sleep he got was plagued with nightmares. Images of dark shapes and screaming-
God, he needed a coffee. He had already drunk three cups and the day had barely begun.
And yet, the jittery feeling that had slowly taken over him was not from the excessive amounts of caffeine. Caffeine never made him feel this way, he had gotten used to it a long time ago. This feeling was caused by… something else.
Perhaps it was how tired Morgan looked, her eyes shadowed and face looking strangely blank.
Every single time they had this test, the Yu sister had always been excited and energetic, happy to work with Alex and help wherever she could. There had been a spring in her step, a light in her eyes.
A light that was ominously vacant.
Bellamy sighed and took another sip of his coffee, barely able to steady his hand enough for him to lift his drink. He needed a break, needed a nap.
Needed to finish this test as soon as possible and get away from this place, this feeling.
So, after getting the go ahead from Alex, Bellamy introduced himself and the tests that Morgan was supposed to do. For once, during all the times he had repeated this script to himself and to the Yu sister, he found himself faltering.
His voice was not as smooth nor professional as it always was, he fumbled and stuttered over certain words, occasionally pausing as he struggled to recall what he was supposed to say next. His hands felt sweaty.
He needed another cup of coffee.
He missed the concerned glances sent his way by his fellow researchers and the hushed whispers shared between them. All he could focus on was wrong, wrong, something was wrong, have to run-
As each test progressed, that foreboding feeling in the back of his mind grew stronger. He watched as Morgan listlessly tossed boxes out of the circle, appearing unmotivated during the test, and knit his hands together as he watched her stare at him when she was supposed to be hiding.
Staring with those empty, blank eyes.
Something was wrong, he knew this, he knew something must have gone wrong at some point. He needed to tell Alex.
The second the final test was complete, he would tell Alex.
Bellamy repeated this mantra over and over to himself, using it as that last bit of motivation to get through to the last test-
And, of course, this was when that foreboding feeling manifested into a nightmarish reality.
Room C had proved to have the same results as the prior two tests, Morgan technically completing the required goals but not at all using the neuromod that had been installed. In fact, just before Bellamy had moved to stand in front of the final room, he swore he had seen-
Morgan, drool running down the corner of her mouth as those blank eyes stared at him.
Run, run, run, run-
"Dr. Bellamy, are you alright?" Lucia Jimenez asked, leaning over, and whispering to him so the speaker did not pick anything up. He instinctively nodded, feeling all the more disconnected to his surroundings.
"Yes, I just… have something very important I need to mention to Alex later." He replied.
Run, run, the darkness draws closer-
"You sure?" Marco Simmons added, taking a step towards Bellamy and narrowing his eyes in concern. "You're pale and sweating. You got a fever or something?"
"He was fine earlier." Jimenez commented, her worry growing as well. "Should I get a trash can or something?'
"No! No, I'm… I'm fine." Bellamy exclaimed as he lifted his hands up and offered them a shaky smile. "Just… coffee withdrawal, you know."
Neither of them seemed all that convinced by his explanation, but they did back up and allow him to start up the next, and final, test. Simmons went to go organize some of the data while Jimenez took a seat at the computer, ready to look over the questions and Morgan's answers. And as for Morgan…
She was, thankfully, seated at the table and seemed to be focusing on the screen in front of her. The sight of her acting so normal was welcome among all the strange behaviours he had seen earlier, but he still needed to talk to Alex. He let out a sigh and picked up his mostly empty coffee mug. What a talk that would be-
Without warning, the lights went out.
Panic immediately broke out among the group as they each struggled to figure out what was going on. The sounds of glass breaking and something heavy striking the ground, making it shake, only intensified their terror.
"No, no!" Bellamy yelped as he stumbled around in the shadows that had overtaken the room, hearing shouting and fighting breaking out around him. What was going on?!
Another step backwards resulted in him tripping over something, falling, and landing heavily on his back. His head cracked against the ground and he saw stars.
Bellamy hated space, hated the void that surrounded them and how far they were from everything else, the isolation. His research kept him sane.
As did Morgan, once upon a time.
"F-Fuck!" He spat as he struggled to regain his footing, one of his hands landing on something warm and wet. He slipped once more, leg bumping into whatever he had tripped over.
White in the darkness, a flash of a badge-
Lucia Jimenez's headless corpse.
Bellamy screamed, he screamed, and screamed, and screamed as he scrambled to back away from the body, the heavy stench of copper permeating the air and making him gage violently. She was dead, dead, dead, dead!
What was going on? What was happening? Why were the lights still out? Where was security?
Footsteps sounded out nearby and, in a moment of hope among despair, Bellamy crawled forwards on his hands and knees as he desperately tried to find the owner of the steps. It had to be Marco, they could make it out of this hell together.
He would live, he would survive.
Please, please, please-
What does it look like, the shape in the glass?
A hand grasped onto a boot and Sylvain Bellamy found himself looking up, staring into the face of death. Morgan loomed out of the darkness above him, skin twitching and seizing before ultimately splitting apart, a maw of teeth and gore cracking and breaking open-
I used to wish we weren't alone in the universe.
Not-Morgan lunged, body splitting and breaking further as tendrils pierced the suit that had clothed her, it, and Bellamy screamed.
All around Talos I, alarms broke the silence as guards scrambled to gather their weapons. There was an alien among them, something other than the Typhon. Something far different, far deadlier, and as for Not-Morgan…
They want to live inside us, like a disease.
Well, it was among prey, now.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AN: I would pay solid money to see which would win in a fight, an Imposter or a Typhon.
I hope you all enjoyed reading!
- ImmortalCoelacanth