Chapter Text
"We're at about 5000 miles until we land," Red tells Purple, shooting them a solemn glance over their shoulder.
It's been an awfully long two weeks since they first left the Mira Headquarters on Earth, and one week since they'd finally gotten rid of 'Green'. Ever since then, it's been a waiting game. A waiting game until they landed in Industria. What waits for them in Industria, neither of them know.
The week was long. Days spent just maintaining the ship alone. It felt as if it was falling apart as it flew itself through space, slowly running out of fuel, reactor issues becoming more frequent, having to ration food just so they could keep up their energy. They couldn't afford to not land in Industria. It would cost them their lives— and both of them agreed they'd rather take their chances landing in Industria.
The last couple minutes of the journey are quiet as they officially enter Industria's atmosphere. Red is focused on the landing process, Purple standing off behind them, holding onto the doorframe of the entrance to Navigation.
The ship begins to rumble and shake as it descends onto the landing pad. Thankfully, Red was aware of how to pilot the ship into landing properly. Purple holds on a little tighter, worried that the poor condition of the Skeld was going to effect it's landing capabilities.
But, for once they get lucky. The bumpy landing ended up being the worst of it. Red lets out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding once the ship was safe on the ground. Red looks back, and meets Purple's gaze. Collective relief. That was good! They'd landed, and that was one big mystery over with.
Just as Purple began to open their mouth, someone shouts from the end of the hallway to Navigation. Both of their heads whip towards the noise, and oh. There's people in uniforms, lots of people in uniforms, and they have guns. Lots of guns. HUGE guns.
"Put your hands up, and walk towards us slowly," one in the front calls out, voice firm and unwavering as it rung out through the hallway. It seemed to shake the ship. They're in a load of trouble.
Red doesn't hesitate, and puts their hands up where the guards could see them. They walk slowly, one step at a time, hands shaking in pure fear. They can heart their own heartbeat in their ears, just making their way forward. They have no other choice at all. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just keep going.
Red is apprehended, with a firm grip on their wrists, cuffing them together. They do the same to Purple beside them, who gives Red a look that's tired more than anything. Red gets nudged forward with the barrel of an automatic weapon. It's… just plain terrifying. One wrong move, and Red's innards are going to paint the ship's floor.
They get escorted off of the ship, leaving behind the deteriorating piece of metal, haunted by the ghosts of the crew that had died. Bloodstained floors and a haunting chill, all left behind. Red would never have to step foot on the Skeld again.
That eases their mind, even if just a little bit. But the barrel of the gun is still pressing insistently against their lower back, guiding them into Mira's True Headquarters here on Industria. They operated mainly out of this one, and the last time Red was here was when—
No. This was going to be different this time, right? They'd make the right decision, they wouldn't hurt Purple like they had last time. Never, ever again, they silently vow as they ascend into an elevator.
Red looks at their surroundings as they stepped out. Polished tiled flooring, rich, dark wooden walls surrounding them on both sides. It still looked just as pristine as it did six years ago. Just as fancy, they think.
It would be nice, maybe, if it wasn't Mira.
At the end of the hallway lies a door. Red can see it from here— a large, grand double door entrance to… their office.
Behind that door seemed to lie none other than Pink, the CEO and founder of Mira Corps. Red's skin crawls just thinking about it. Their gaze shifts over to Purple, who was looking ahead with an expression Red couldn't even begin to read.
Red flinches as they feel the barrel of the gun jab into their back, gasping. "Keep on looking forward," says the guard.
They reached the doors, and one of the guards swipes a keycard, opening the door.
For the first time in 6 years, Red and Purple step back into Pink's office, this time having purposely defied Mira's rules and regulations, having dumped all of the Ore+ into the vacuum of space, and having the knowledge to expose Mira once and for all.
Red and Purple are made to be sat down in two chairs, facing the grand desk. It looks bigger than before. The room itself is dim, and Pink's chair is facing away from them.
Red and Purple share a look. Red wants Purple to know they would never dare to make that mistake again.
Pink turns around, looking at the two crewmates. They hum, scooting forward, nails tapping repeatedly on the table. That sound got on Red's nerves, honestly. Pink's gaze flits back and forth. From Red, to Purple, and back to Red.
This was different than speaking to the boss over a call. Right here, they were right here in their office, any punishment available to them. Off in space? The boss couldn't hurt them there.
"Oh, Red," Pink tuts, sitting back. "I knew it was a mistake to allow you to bring… them onto the mission," Pink shook their head.
"They were a valuable asset, and had nothing to do with how things went down," Red grits their teeth, and puts on a confident air in their voice. "It's Mira's fault," Red accused.
"Red, Red," Pink grins, shaking their head. "You had one single job. That was to get the Ore+ from Earth… all the way here," they sigh. "You couldn't even manage to do that," they say in a sweetly condescending voice that makes Red's skin crawl.
Red opens their mouth to speak, but Pink quickly shushed them, wagging their finger. "No, I'm not done," they say. "Not only did you loose the Ore+, you lost your entire crew! What's your excuse for that, Red? You're a capable captain, I know this. I let you captain a ship, and you do this?"
"It— an alien Impostor hijacked the ship," Red quickly explains, "two, actually. They hijacked the ship, killed off the crew until we had to kill it," Red explains.
"Alien Impostors just don't get onto our ships, Red—" Pink had started.
Then, Purple cuts in. "You're right, they don't, sure! But we know, we know that the Ore+—"
Red's eyes widen. If Pink knows they know…? "Helps us! It helps us, right, Purps?" They laugh hesitantly.
"You guys are transporting aliens!" Purple snaps out after Red tries their absolute bullshittery. The guards in the room ready their weapons, unsure if Purple would physically lash out or not.
Pink hums. "So you do know," they sigh, glancing down at their nails, and then to the two crewmates in front of them. Pink scoots their chair closer to the desk, opening a drawer.
Red tenses, watching their movements carefully, believing it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for someone to… pull something right now.
But, instead, they pull out two sheets of contract paper, and face them towards both of the crewmates. Red sweats a little harder.
"All I ask of you two is this; sign these papers and stay silent. You're lives will remain unaffected by this discovery. Red, you can continue working as a captain at Mira. Purple, we will keep you employed under Security," they speak firmly. Their final decision.
"No, I won't sign it," Purple spat, making their decision in the blink of an eye.
"Hmmm," Pink purses their lips, looking disappointed. "I suppose I expected that… Red?" They look to Red for their decision.
Red was faced with a difficult choice. They could go back home! Be happy, continue being a captain, a job that pays well and is their… only source of true identity. They would get to sleep in their bed again, see their family, their pets.
Maybe they could even become a good captain, they could use this experience to their own advantage. Know the signs! Nip it in the bud before it happens again. Never let another crewmate die under their watch.
Or, they could end up blacklisted like Purple. Never work again, struggle for their entire life. They'd lose everything they had. Identity, money, power, and their dreams. Highly monitored, unable to live life in peace because they know Mira's largest secret.
But… they wouldn't be alone. They'd be standing with Purple. The one person they know that they could trust with their entire heart, mind, and soul. Because Red had screwed up in the past. They screwed up royally. Now was the time to right that wrong. Correct?
Well, Red still hesitates on their decision. They open their mouth, close it, and keep thinking over it. They don't want to even look over at Purple. They don't want to see the disappointment written all over their face.
But, in the end, Red knew that there was only one correct decision for them.
"I won't sign it. Not this time," Red says, firm and unwavering in their decision this time.
Pink tuts, and leans forward. "Well," they begin, "this means you're… not going to leave Industria alive, I fear," they say.
Such a casually spoken sentence! But the words dig deep, and open up a pit of dread in Red's chest.
"What?" Red blurts, hands shaking in their cuffs.
"The guards will detain you and bring you down to our 'sanctuary', and you'll be there until we euthanize you in a week! If you decide you want to sign, you have a week to make that decision," Pink grins. "Now, think about it."
Pink snapped their fingers, an unsaid command as the guards begin to move, roughly dragging Purple and Red out of their chairs, and out of the office.
Red doesn't know what to think, still in absolute shock of what they've doomed their fate to.
They're dragged down the hall, into the elevator. The barrel of an automatic weapon pressed against their neck this time. The cool metal contrasted with how warm and sweaty they've been since they landed in Industria.
They're lead out of the main building, and down a small path. Paved, and worn by time, Red wonders how many have traveled this path never to come back. Just like they would now, right?
Because they couldn't come back from this, right? Walking into the prison, their fate is sealed. The guard scans a keycard, and they walk into the lobby of this place.
It's dark, dim, and decrepit. Unwelcoming. Red sees a roach crawl from one side of the room to the other as the guards entered a key code to get to the back room. They shudder. They don't like roaches.
They step into a plain room.
After un-cuffing them, the guard begins to pat Red down without warning, a different guard doing the same to Purple on the other side of the room.
It's invasive. The guard goes into their pockets, fishing out all of their personal belongings. From their wallet, down to hair ties, they're stripped of all of their personal belongings.
"You're going to need to hand over your jewelry too," the guard orders. When Red hesitates, the guard takes their wrists themselves, and yanks off the rings. They did that with both hands.
"Uniform as well. Hat and coat," the guard nods, beckoning for it.
Red takes off their hat, and peels off their sweaty coat, leaving them in nothing but a tank and their slacks. They hand the uniform off to their guards, the skin of who they once were.
The guard re-cuffs them, and takes them out of the room. Purple was still back there, but Red wasn't really in a spot to refuse anything, lest they want a bullet in the head.
Red gets walked to a cell. The inside is fully concrete, the bars are titanium, it looks like. The guard un-cuffed them once more, before leaving them there, locking it shut.
After about a minute, the reality of it all sinks in, and Red freaks out. Balled up in the corner of a cell, trying to come to terms with their rapidly approaching demise.
Their chest is tight, and their hands are shaking as they sit there. Helpless, and hopeless. They felt naked, stripped of their identity as Captain, losing all of the crew they'd once held dear to them, and now they were sitting on the cold concrete of a prison cell floor.
Half of them doesn't know what else they expected to happen as they willingly dumped all of the Ore+ out into the black vacuum of space. Accidentally uncovering a secret that was never meant to be uncovered.
They'd never expected to die, though. At least not like this. In a cell, separated from Purple when all they wanted to do was get a hug from their… co-worker.
They draw their knees tight to their chest, and lean their head forward, resting it in on their knees. They sigh. They don't know how they could possibly manage to get out of this situation now.