Captive (Among Us Logic)

Welcome to the Machine

Player didn't remember what happened between the Ald breaking into Electrical and where he was now. Which was slung over the alien's shoulder like a towel, upside down and facing backwards. Through his somewhat blurred vision, he could make out the stack of boxes in Storage. They grew smaller and smaller as the Ald carried him away. His head pounded -- with a little more clarity of mind, he might worry that he had a concussion -- and his body felt limp. These invaders packed a serious punch.

"Let go of me," he slurred, squirming weakly. His captor responded by slapping him on the belly. He coughed, then wilted in their hold.

The Ald brought him into the Cafeteria and paused there, but they didn't set him down. They turned to face one of their companions, allowing Player to see what was happening. And oh, it was not good.

Several small cages, about the size of a pet carrier, were stacked on the floor. Captain, Stoner, and Goober already occupied three of them. Goober rattled their tiny prison while screaming bloody murder; Stoner sat in his with a thousand-yard stare. Captain slammed his paws against the mesh while yelling at the Alder in Standard Galactic. They argued back with him, before one lost their patience and kicked the cage. That shut him up.

"Guys?" Player asked them, feeling the panic rising in him. "What's going on?"

"It appears we're being taken prisoner, Player," Captain said. "I tried to reason with the raiders. They won't listen to me."

"What?!" His eye darted around in panic. "Where's Veteran?"

"They already loaded him on the ship. I don't know where he's gone. And I'm more concerned with what they're going to do to me!"

"No! No!" Mother shrieked. "Get your hands off my children! Timmy, Franklin. Come to mommy!"

But it was no use. The aliens dispassionately tossed her in one kennel and her children in another. The baby Beans started to cry. Timmy held Franklin close, doing his best to comfort his little brother, but there wasn't much he could do.

Everywhere Player looked, he saw something terrible. Engineer and Gnome yelled for each other as they were split up and put in separate cages. One of the Alder found Ninja hiding and roughly grabbed him. Skilled a fighter as he was, the azure Bean didn't stand a chance against his much larger and stronger enemy. Into a crate he went. The worst, however, was yet to come.

"You leave my beanie boy alone!" a posh voice shouted above the rest. Out his peripheral vision, Player could see the Gentleman thrashing about as an Alder held him. He reached out for Mr. Cheese, who was in another one's grip.

"Help me, the Gentleman!" Mr. Cheese cried. "I don't wanna go!"

"Hey!" Player shouted. "You can't do that -- those are my friends!"

He got slapped again for his outburst. His captor's grip was iron, so he could only watch as the Gentleman and Mr. Cheese were ripped away from each other and carried off to the raiders' ships.

Player made a penultimate desperate attempt to escape. He tried to squirm free of the Ald's grip. It didn't work; the alien only tightened their hold on him. Now they were holding him so ardently, their claws raked his skin. He winced. The Alder talked among themselves for a few seconds, before the one holding Player started to walk away.

"No! You're not taking me away from my friends!" the red Bean growled, and he bit down as hard as he could on the Ald's hand.

Right away the alien dropped him, screeching in pain and clutching the offending hand. Fire and murder flashed in its eyes as it glared at Player. It pulled a tiny handgun from its uniform and pointed it at him. Player backed up, unconsciously raising his paws.

"It's a tranquilizer, bestie!" Captain managed to shout to Player before an Ald picked up his cage. "Don't get shot or you'll be taking a long nap."

The Ald took advantage of Player's distraction and kicked him into a nearby kennel. The door clicked shut. The red Bean banged his paws against the mesh uselessly. He sank back into the confines in defeat and watched as his friends were split up and taken away by the raiders. A tear welled up in his eye and rolled down his cheek.

Mother and Ninja were the last ones to get taken away. She cried out for her children, her shouts quickly melting into sobbing. Ninja looked sadly at Player, then bowed respectfully before the Alder draped a cloth over his cage. The red Bean shuddered, wondering what was in store for them all.

Then one of them picked up Player and carried him down a hallway. The lights from the dying Skeld flickered as they went along. Halfway through, they died altogether, and Player completely lost his sense of direction. He felt the air change, becoming thinner and cooler.

He had lost his sense of sight, but Player knew he was being boarded onto one of the raiders' ships. Probably the big, barge-like one that had rammed the Skeld. It must have been tight up against whatever hole it tore in the ship's hull. The roar of the barge's engines -- old, clattery ones -- drowned out all the other noise until he was inside the craft. He felt the jolt as his cage was set down, and that was all for quite some time.